


The Reunion

by Enx2103



Category: Life with Derek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, High School Reunion, Hockey, Lawyers, put your money where your mouth is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-08-05 04:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16360685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enx2103/pseuds/Enx2103
Summary: High school reunions are all about impressing the people from your past and making yourself look good, right? So when Casey gets an invitation to Fletcher Academy's 10 year reunion she realizes she might need Derek's help...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Posted on FFN.  
> Enjoy!

**Chapter 1:**

She was late. She's never late. Never. But she was...which normally she whould be freaking out about. But her sleep deprived body couldn't think straight yet. She fell asleep on top of her coffee table while rereading her client's files at about 4am. She really didnt need to tho, she had memorized it word for word by then, but once a keener...

When she woke up at 7:35, she didn't scream, or even run around to get ready. She simply shook her head, rubbed her tired eyes and stretched her achy muscles before heading towards the shower. She was usually out of the house by 8am. But not this tome. There was just no way.

She took her time in the shower, nearly 30 minutes on that particular morning. She leaned her shoulder against the cool tile shower wall while letting the steaming hot water soothe her body as best as possible. Her skin was bright pink and raw from the heat, but she didn't care. She closed her eyes for a second or two, leaning her head against the shower wall; she couldn't fight it. No matter what she did her eyes kept fluttering closed. A whimper escaped her by the simple thought of getting out and facing the day. She tried to talk herself up; convince herself that it would be okay! But it was no use. Her mind and her body were both dreading yet another late night in the office. She was so burnt out and nothing seemed to shake her out of it.

She forced herself out by turning the water off. She left her body exposed to the steam that filled the room and nothing else. Eventually, she managed to move her shaky limbs out of the shower before she wrapped herself in a giant fluffy towel and made her way to her closet. She stared at all the suit jackets, pencil skirts and dress pants. She didn't feel like wearing any of that. She didn't need to see a client, so she convinced herself that it was okay to dress casual. She pulled on a black v-neck sweater and a pair of dark khaki-colored slacks. She even opted for a pair of flats because her feet ached from the heels she had been wearing all week. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and barely recognized herself. It was nothing compared to her usual standard of office attire but she couldn't bring herself to care.

She had heard him come in somewhere during the middle of her shower. She should be a little surprised by the sound of someone else rustling around in her kitchen, slamming cabinet doors and such, but he had a set of keys. He seemed to come over all the time so she didn't bother to acknowledge him until she was dressed and mostly ready.

She peeked into the kitchen and spotted him leaning against one of the counters, munching on a piece of toast that he must have made himself. He always did know how to makes himself comfortable. She doesn't even mind it really.

"Laundry?" She asked, not bothering to say good morning…there was nothing about that morning that was good. She wasn't half awake yet.

Derek always did his laundry over at Casey's house. One day he came ober trying to convince her to do it for him. Casey simply showed him where the machine was, and left him to it. And even when he moved into his fancy bachelor pad in the center of Toronto (which just so happen to be only a twenty-minute drive from her place) earlier that year, he refused to do his laundry in the basement that was provided by his building. Nope, he still brought his stuff all the way to Casey's and did it there. Because he was cheap, or _something_.

Maybe it was an excuse to see her? With her busy schedule she never really got much time to be around Derek, even though he was the closest thing she had to 'family' in a fifty mile radius.

She didn't even wait for an answer before strolling past the kitchen, and into the living room to collect a few files she had left on the coffee table the night before. She spotted his leather jacket thrown lazily over the arm of her couch and smiled. Some things never changed.

"Yeah," he nodded to himself in between his bites of toast. "Brought you coffee," he added before holding out a paper cup to her when she walked back towards him and the kitchen.

She whispered a "Thanks," giving him a polite smile while accepting the cup. She brought the caramel-flavored coffee to her lips and moaned in delight. "You amazing Venturi!" She praised after closing her eyes as the rich flavor erupted on her tongue. She hadn't realized just how bad she had needed coffee. She wasn't going to make any, she had no time. She was just going to get some on the way into the office.

When she did open her eyes again she decided it was too early to see the smug look on Derek's face.

"Just remember that," he replied, amused by her reaction.

And just like that, she was awake. Well, awake enough to fight with Derek; to function like a normal human being. But still, she couldn't make herself rush out the door. She stayed there a little longer; after all, she hadn't seen him in a few days. Indulging herself in an early morning fight with him was only right.

She rolled her eyes in his direction, "I hate you," She groaned with no real emotion attached to the comment, except irritation. But that wasn't new. His presences alone was enough to irritate her and set her skin on fire.

"Liar." He teased back before sticking his tongue out. He hopped onto her kitchen counter, like he usually did, before swinging his feet in front of him like a child. "You're running late." He pointed out after peeking at the time on his wrist.

"I know," She replied dryly while leaning against the opposite counter. She continued to drink her coffee, enjoying it for all it was worth.

"Did you even sleep?" He asked, his voice dropping the obnoxious tone. He was wary of the answer.

"Like three hours?" She asked herself. With a shrug, she frowned before looking at the floor. That was always easier than looking at Derek  head on.

"Casey," he started while drawing out her name like it was a chore.She knew where he was going with that  

"Please don't." She stopped him, her face scrunching up in discomfort. "I don't have the time for this today, Der." She fought while trying to hold off the inevitable. Her eyes flicked up to meet his for a second.

"Fine. But you're burnt out." He point out.

Her blue eyes lost their sparkle. She didn't even bother with makeup anymore. It took too much time. Time she didn't have. And her body seemed to hunch over; she couldn't even stand up straight. He hadn't seen her in a few days. But she looked a lot worse than before.

"Come over tonight?" He offered.

He watched her mouth open, seconds away from rejecting his offer. But he wouldn't have that. "It's Friday! You don't even work tomorrow!" He reminded her.

"Oh... is it? I hadn't noticed." She sighed before running a hand over her pale face. "I don't even know what day it is. Or if I missed someone's birthday. Hell, I don't even remember if I ate last night." She admitted, biting her bottom lip, flushed with embarrassment.

"Come on. Come over, we'll order in, and I'll pick a fight. It'll get your mind off work." He sweetened the deal. He hopped off the counter and stepped in front of her before pulling at the ends of her hair like a kid on a playground.

"Okay." She sighed before finishing the last of her coffee.

"Yeah?" He asked excitedly as he bounced on his feet.

"Yeah," she promised. "I actually have to talk to you about something." She shuttered with another blush covering her cheeks. She brushed passed him, throwing away her empty coffee cup in the process, and headed into the living room to gather her things before heading out. She lost track of time around him, making her even later than she already was.

"Alright..." He spoke cautiously, "So, should I expect you over any time before midnight?" He teased while following her into the living room.

She smiled after pulling on her black jacket. "If you're lucky." She winked before throwing her bag over her shoulder. She waved a quick goodbye before walking out into the world.


	2. 2

**Chapter 2:**

Casey tried to get out of the office as soon as possible that night…meaning she managed to get out by 10pm. By no means is that normal but Casey had a huge case coming up in the next few weeks and she had to get everything taken care of.

She managed to make it to Derek's apartment by about 10:30pm. She slipped her copy of his key into the door quietly, trying her best to sneak in. She knew he had wanted her there earlier, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. At least she had made it before midnight!

The living room was dark, aside from the glow that was coming off of the TV. She found him asleep; lounging across the length of his black sectional leather couch that took up most of the living room. An old _Friends_ rerun was playing on his 50-inch flat screen, but he wasn't watching it. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. She couldn't help but smile. He was adorable when he was asleep, which meant she had to go wake him, obviously.

She toed off her shoes and stripped out of her jacket before dropping her stuff quietly on the empty side of the couch. She tiptoed closer to him before crouching down in front of his sleeping form. She ran a hand through his messy hair gently, which earned her a content hum from him.

"Honey, I'm home," she teased before pulling a handful of his hair roughly. She quickly stood up after that.

His eyes snapped open before they closed instantly. He threw an arm over his face. The light emitting from the nearby kitchen seemed to momentarily blind his sensitive eyes. He pouted, clearly upset by his rude awakening.

She enjoyed his reaction and yet she walked over to dim the lights in the kitchen. Casey sighed in awe as she usually did when she stepped into Derek's kitchen. She ran her fingertips over the cool marble countertops while letting herself soak in his kitchen for a second. She had always envied it. It was huge with a giant center table top that was perfect for cooking big meals on. Everything was stainless steel, it practically shined. It was beautiful and mostly untouched. The things she could do in that kitchen…but she never did have the time to do any of that anymore.

"And what kind of time do you call this?!" He groaned in reply yet his sleepy voice made his voice sound deeper than normal.

The sound made shivers go down Casey's spine. "Perfect timing," she answered, laughing it off.

She stepped out of the kitchen and headed up the hallway towards his bedroom to change. After spending the day at the office, she wanted nothing more than to lounge around in yoga pants and a tank top. But she was at Derek's so her options were limited to one of his tanks tops (which was huge on her, but that didn't really matter, she wasn't trying to impress anyone), and a pair of his basketball shorts.

* * *

Derek managed to stumble off the couch after waking up completely. He strolled into the now dim kitchen and popped her cold take out into the microwave. It had just finished heating up when she walked back into the kitchen…wearing his clothes. It wasn't the first time he had seen her like that, but it always affected him in the same way. He cleared his throat and looked away. He opened up the fridge to distract himself from her. He had always liked the idea of her wearing his clothes. It was a kind of branding he enjoyed more than he should.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her eyes light up when she realized what he had ordered for her. A number eleven: general Tso sweet and sour chicken with vegetables.

"My favorite? You're an angel, Venturi!" She grinned at him before taking the plate full of food and returning to the living room to eat.

"Yeah yeah yeah," he muttered, following her into the living room with two open beers in hand.

She had already settled down, sitting cross-legged on her corner of the couch when he joined her. She balanced the plate on her lap and worked the chopsticks around with her fingers. He watched her for just a second; watching the way she used the chopsticks perfectly, unlike him.

He placed her beer on the coffee table in front of her and took a sip of his own before laying across the same spot where he had been when she found him. He flipped through the channels and tried his best to ignore Casey next to him. Casey…in his clothes…with leftover sauce on her lips, and her hair sticking out all over the place. He was one of the few people that got to see her like this, out of her element. And he enjoyed it all too much.

He landed on one of the crappy reality shows: The Real House Wives of wherever. He knows how much she enjoys watching pointless stuff like that, whenever she allows herself the pleasure of relaxing that is. He figured she'd enjoy it now and he would somehow stomach it.

Derek let her eat in silence, knowing she needed it. After practically inhaling half of her plate he spoke again. "What's going on at work?" He asked; his tone suddenly serious.

"Client confidentiality," she replied with a half-smile before licking her lips clean.

He tried to ignore what the simple movement did to him. He readjusted himself, bending his knees up and watching her through the space between his legs. He tucked an arm behind his head and balanced his beer on his stomach with his free hand. He was comfortable, to say the least. "Come on. Long story short, no names," he offered with an easy smile.

Secretly he loved hearing about her job. It seemed so…exciting.

She sighed before leaning over to place the now empty plate on the coffee table and exchanging it for the beer. She sat back again before rolling her neck and shoulders in hopes of trying to get herself as comfortable as he seemed to be. "My client is being sued by her ex-husband. He's claiming she abused their son and stole from his trust-fund and some other _really_ nasty stuff. It's one hell of a custody battle. And I won't rest until she's reunited with her son." Casey finished before taking a long pull from her beer, not realizing that she had needed it so bad. The malt drink bubbled on her tongue, the alcohol aftertaste seeming almost refreshing to her.

Derek nodded, understanding it all. Casey put her heart and soul into every case. But when children were involved, she turned into something else.

"So!" She started, suddenly more enthused. "Why were you asleep? It's barely 11pm on a Friday night!" She teased, changing subjects quickly.

"Hey! I had a hard day. I did my laundry. Got you coffee- cause I'm _amazing_ , don't forget that part," he smirked while extending his leg straight out to nudging her thigh with his foot. "Then I had practice all day after that," he groaned before throwing his head back deeper into his couch cushion. "We've got a big game tomorrow. Coach had us in the gym for three hours. Then we ran about a thousand laps. Then two back to back scrimmage games."

Coach had a rep for being a hard ass but Derek didn't complain about it too bad. That was mostly because he knew how lucky he was to be in his position. He was kind of a big shot now. He played center for the Toronto Maple Leafs; he got drafted right out of Queens. Casey often forgot about how big of a deal Derek was because his ego had always been huge; she hardly felt a change.

"Then, I came home and had to order food for some preppy princess who stood me up anyways!" He teased before pretending to be hurt with a hand over his heart and a dramatic look of despair across his features.

"Oh shut it!" She laughed wholeheartedly before shoving his closest leg off the couch.

"Wanna come to my game tomorrow? The kids are coming." He asked before sitting up a bit to get a better look at her.

"Der, I'm tired." She whined with a pained expression across her face.

"Come on, we both know you'll just spend all weekend working, and I think everyone knows you need a break Casey. The parentals are concerned." He quickly added.

She rolled her eyes before throwing her head back, closing her eyes tight. "Well, if you just lied to them and said I was fine they wouldn't be!" She argued, getting defensive as usual when they talk about her overworking tendencies.

"Come on. When's the last time you saw the kiddies?" He asked, referring to Ed, Liz and Marti who probably wouldn't agree to being called 'the kiddies' but Derek knew how to get to Casey.

She sighed, not being able to find an answer which made her feel beyond guilty about the whole thing. "Okay. Fine. I'll go to your stupid game!" She gave in, far too quickly for his liking, but he managed to get his way, so that was good.

"Well jeez princess, don't sound _too_ excited."

"Shhh," she shushed him while getting comfortable by tucking her legs underneath her. She continued to sip her beer as her mind wandered a bit while she watched the pointless TV show.

He let the silence fall over them for the rest of the show until he remembered their conversation earlier that morning which reminded him…

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked on a commercial break.

"Oh… that," she mumbled with a frown. She sighed before pulling her purse closer to her. She rummaged through it until she found a white envelope addressed to her. She threw it at Derek's chest and waited for his reaction.

He easily pulled out its contents and read it out loud. "Fletcher Academy for Girls invites you to its 10 year reunion... Is this for real?" He asked while looking up at her with a confused expression.

"Yeah." She breathed out after running a hand through her hair.

"You didn't even graduate at Fletcher!" He replied before throwing the invitation onto the cluttered coffee table.

"Hey!" She yelled before turning toward him while looking offended. "I made _history_ while I was there. Freshmen year I helped my school win dozens of science competitions. Trophies with my name on it use to line the hallways! I was in the top five percentile of my entire school my whole time there, the dean's list both semester. Plus, I went to prom with Angela when she wanted to make that feminist statement." Casey fired back proudly.

" _Angela_ ," Derek repeated with a hazy smile. Flashbacks flooded his mind for a second. "Oh, I remember her." And he did. Angela was Casey's insanely gorgeous best friend from Fletcher. Casey also went up to see Angela graduate a few days before their own graduation from SJST High.

Casey eyes narrowed in response before instinctively whacking the closest part of him she could reach which was the remaining leg that was on the couch. "She's one of the few people organizing this whole thing. So yeah…I'm invited." She shrugged while not knowing how else to end that semi-rant.

"So...you're going?" He asked, genuinely curious. She ended up blowing off their SJST High reunion a few months ago due to work, as usual. So he didn't think she'd actually attended this one.

"Uh...depends." She blushed before looking away from him and back at the TV.

"On?"

"You." She admitted before rubbing her tired eyes to distract herself from what she had just said.

"Me?" He asked while shooting up into a full sitting position which left them to be a lot closer than before. What did he have to do with her reunion?

She nodded. "Wanna come with?" Casey asked with a weak smile.

His heart did some kind of fluttering like a flip thing in response. "Like... a date?" He managed to ask while playing it cool. As if he wouldn't literally jump at the thought of having anything to do with it.

"A little more than that actually…" She replied vaguely with a nervous chuckle.

More than a date? What more could there be?! "More? ...Like what?" He asked cautiously.

"Like...as my husband?" She replied quickly before finishing her beer in a few gulps.

 **Husband.** Imagine Derek…as Casey's husband. Wow.

"You're asking me to marry you?" He asked after a while with a laugh. "Well aren't you forward McDonald. But I don't think I can accept." He scoffed before crossing his arms over his chest. "Who's gonna warm my lonely bed when you're out at 'work' all night?" He teased before relaxing back into his lounging position. Because that's what he did when they had an awkward moment. He joked about it. There was no way she was actually serious about this!

"Come on Der. Just for the night." She tried while looking at him with the big puppy dog eyes; she'd blink real slow so her eyelashes fluttered against her skin as such while her bottom lip pushed out slightly as her chin quivered just enough to look like she was near tears. The entire thing pushed him over the edge. She knew exactly what to do to get to him.

"Why?"

"Because." She argued.

"Because?"

She crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortable. "Because all those girls will be there parading around pictures of their kids and happy relationships, and I'll be there single with no kids and no stories to tell." She finally admitted.

Now that took a second for him to process. Casey was usually so confident about herself; it was insane to think that she wasn't happy with her life and her accomplishments. And yeah, maybe he didn't praise her about her choices but he was really proud of how far she had come.

"Seriously?" It was all he managed to replay.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just... tell me, okay? Yes or no. If not I'll ask Gary." She shrugged while trying to end the conversation and make it seem like it was really no big deal.

"Gary?!" Derek laughed at the thought of it. "Casey..." He trailed off as a smile started to tug at his lips.

"Hey! He's masculine." She shrugged. "He could totally be my husband!" She argued because Gary was….everything Derek wasn't. But he dressed to perfection and was beyond gorgeous in an entirely different sort of way.

Derek shook his head. "If you're bringing anyone as your husband… it has to be me." He decided.

"Well aren't you confident," she smirked.

"You want them to be impressed, don't you? Jealous of how hot your husband is?" He teased before licking his lips slowly. He was trying to be seductive and make her laugh.

"Ugh!" She groaned. "Never mind!"

He laughed; he missed the feeling of riling her up. She didn't have time for that anymore. "I just gotta make sure I don't have an away game. If I'm home, then yeah." He decided, finally getting serious about the situation.

"So, you'll marry me, huh?" She replied after a while.

"Don't get too excited. I haven't said yes yet," he shrugged in a nonchalant manner. But hey, if she ever really asked then the answer would definitely be yes.

* * *

Casey ended up spending the night. Which wasn't as weird as it sounds because Derek's got a spare bedroom in that huge apartment of his. It was mostly for when the kids came over, but Casey used it more than anyone else. It was her home away from home.

The next day when she woke up, she was actually well-rested for the first time in a long time. She heard the sounds of the kids and Derek making -or trying to make- breakfast in the kitchen.

Suddenly she was glad she had agreed to spend the day with them. She got dressed up in Derek's smallest yet oldest clothes before putting on his jersey over a giant Queens' hoodie.

Soon after she was ready, they all went to the game together. They sat in the front row, right next to the ice and cheered him on the whole time. And after the Leafs won, they all went out for ice cream to celebrate. It was the happiest Casey had been in weeks.

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**DPOV**

The first thing Derek did when he got to the rink the following Monday was to see what his schedule looked like for the coming weeks. And it just so happened that he was off the night of Casey's Fletcher reunion. But he didn't tell her that right away. He wanted her to sweat it out for a few days because well... it was just more fun that way.

Eventually, he felt pretty bad about her freaking out so he told her that he was free and that he could go with her. She breathed a sigh of relief which was nice to see for a change.

It didn't last long at all though because the reunion was two weeks away which meant that Casey needed a dress. And instead of going with the ever fashionable Gary, Casey dragged Derek, her _husband_ , along. Typical, isn't it? Secretly he was alright with that because he didn't have to come up with an excuse to see her that week, which was nice, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about it when Casey dragged him into every store he could possibly imagine.

Eventually, they entered one store that looked promising and expensive; Casey had the money to spend. Plus, she was trying to impress her old bullies, who were apparently almost as bad as peak Derek during high school.  
  
Derek managed to find a seat while Casey disappeared into the dressing rooms. She changed into about ten dresses that afternoon, coming out to model each and every one of them for him. Most of the time, he would shake his head or make a stupid comment. That would simply piss Casey off and send her back into the changing room to find another dress that would pass Derek's approval.

After a while, she came out in a short-sleeved black and white mini dress that was a little short for her normal style. The dress was fashionable; it was all black with a thick white panel of fabric in the middle which took up most of her torso. But what caught his attention was not the color, it was the cut of the dress itself, or rather the shape of it. It was pretty simple as dresses go, but the square neckline did wonders to Casey's chest. Normally he felt at least a little bad when he checked Casey out, but not this time. He couldn't find it in himself to look away. The white middle panel was tight, tight enough that it seemed to push Casey's chest up and together. Although Derek kind of wished that her chest would just spill over the top of the dress, it didn't. The dress remained classy. It revealed just enough to keep him wanting more. And yes, he did want more, a lot more actually. Aside from the obvious cleavage, the stretchy material clung to her every last curve, molding it against her frame flawlessly. Her silhouette was simply breathtaking in it.

Derek couldn't help himself but hiss, "Well, _damn_ McDonald!" when she twirled around, awaiting his comments. "Yeah that. _Please_ , get that," he groaned while still wide-eyed and surprised that Casey could look like a runway model even after all those years.

His reaction was enough for her to buy it, which says something about their dynamic but he didn't bother thinking about that. It was hard enough to erase the picture of her in that dress from his mind to think of anything else, to be honest. Maybe that's why he was so distracted on their way back home and he kept slamming onto the brakes. They almost got into an accident because of it…although he'd never admit it.

With the dress taken care of, he thought the rest would be smooth sailing… But it wasn't. Of course not.

She was freaking out and he's totally over her melodramatics. So he lounged around her house as she ran around making note cards and prepping him on their backstory, which is apparently _necessary_ to the whole ordeal. But he just tuned her out completely. He didn't need any prepping. He knew exactly what he's going to say if asked anything about them.

* * *

 

Finally, it was the night of the reunion. It was being held in a swanky upscale hotel in the center of the city that included valet parking and everything. But Derek didn't trust anyone with his cars. Not even Casey.

He still had The Prince, of course; he'd never get rid of it! But it was currently parked in a garage, collecting dust at the moment. He promised he'd keep it for his future kids. Of course, he'd fix it up and make sure it ran correctly first but he wanted them to have a piece of his own adolescence when they did.

Aside from the Prince, Derek had owned a classic 1967 Chevy Impala. Casey always teased him about it. But he said everyone needed a classic, badass car. He hadn't even had a chance to drive it yet. He was still restoring it and getting a piece for the motor which took some time on such an old car. But he didn't mind. It was going to be amazing when it was finally finished.

And then he had his Baby. The first big purchase he made when he joined the major leagues. It was completely different than his other two cars. His Baby was a black-on-black limited edition top of the line SUV with dark tinted windows for the ultimate amount of privacy a car could provide. Honestly, it looked like it belonged to an FBI agent or something. Lizzie always got on him about how bad it was for the environment but he loved it because it was practical. When he went out with the boys after practice, a bunch of them could just slide right in. Or when he hung around with the kiddies, there was more than enough space for them all. Casey always teased him about it, claiming that he was overcompensating for something. To which Derek would clearly reply "Wanna find out?" which usually ended the conversation.

But the real reason Derek decided to get his huge SUV was that it was reliable and it could withstand everything. After having the Prince break down on him multiple times in his college years, he really wanted something that could get through anything. And for the few years since getting the massive car, it hadn't given him trouble once.

Derek was all about Car Porn as he liked to call it. He aspired to collect a lot more too, but he couldn't. At least not yet. Because there was just no way he could get more cars without having his own house and his own garage to keep them all in. _Baby steps_ , he told himself.

He turned to look at Casey in the passenger seat and what he saw bothered him. Her eyes were locked out the window, and she was frozen still. Which is odd, she should be jumping out of her skin or fidgeting and ranting like she usually does when she's nervous. Her lack of reaction only meant one thing... she had turned into the scarier version of her normal freak-out-self that he was used to. She had gone into the silent freak-out mode. And he didn't know how to help her. He had never dealt with her in this kind of state. He had only heard about it before from Nora, Liz, Emily, and even Angela…but never firsthand. And that in itself was terrifying.

"Spacey," he started, speaking out the nickname slowly while trying to pull her out of her thoughts without startling her.

"You haven't called me that in years." She murmured softly yet not turning her gaze away from the window.

"What can I say, reunion makes me nostalgic," he shrugged, but that didn't get a reaction out of her either. "Hey..." he started, clearing his throat, his tone getting a bit more serious, "You know you don't _have_ to do this." He reminded her as he pulled into the back parking lot of the hotel, skipping the valet purposely. This is a really bad idea, he wanted to add. But he didn't. Because although he knew how horrible the whole night could go, he didn't want her to back out of it for his own selfish reasons. Reasons she didn't have to know about.

He sounded like a parent trying to convince their troublesome teen out of a stupid idea. And the feeling wasn't far off. He was nervous to do this. To pretend to be her husband, it just felt wrong. Or maybe it was the part of him that wished it was real that felt wrong? He wasn't sure yet.

"Don't," she quickly begged him, closing her eyes tight before straightening herself up in her seat.

He could tell that she was trying her best to keep it together. A breakdown, a slip-up, could ruin her makeup. And although he didn't think that was so bad, he knew how much this all meant to her. She wanted to look perfect, flawless and happy, he knew that. So, he needed to pull her out of the said funk... freak-out, or whatever the hell was going on because clearly, he didn't know since she wasn't talking.

"Casey." He countered, drawing out her name in a breath. "You're going to want to hear me out," he teased while taking a peek at her from the corner of his eyes as he scanned the parking lot aisles for an empty spot. He knew exactly what he had to tell her since it's been in the back of his mind for days…ever since she proposed this insane idea to him in the first place.

"What?" She groaned while gently dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. He could see the tears building up.

He found a free spot and finished parking the car quickly before killing the engine. Silence fell upon them as he took a deep breath before letting it all out. He kept his eyes trained out on the windshield and looking at the other cars around them as well as the night sky above them.

"You don't _need_ a husband. You don't _need_ a phone full of your 'kids' pictures. The things you do on a daily basis... its more than what half those women," he stopped to point at the reception hall where the reunion was being held, "could deal with," he stopped to look into her eyes this time. He licked his lips and continued. "I don't mind being your arm candy for the night, I don't have a problem smiling, shaking hands of people whose names I won't remember. I _really_ don't." He emphasized because this wasn't about him, it was about her. "But you need to know that you don't _need_ to do this. You are impressing all on your own. You don't need a man by your side to do it."

* * *

**CPOV:**

"You do realize I'm trying my best _not_ to cry, right?" She laughed nervously while trying her best to cover up the sob that was forming in the back of her throat because this was Derek! And he's being _sweet_ and she's already so damn emotional about the whole night and it's way too much to handle all at once.

And it wasn't just what he was saying. It was physically being next to him that was killing her as well. Over the years, Casey had accepted the fact that Derek was attractive. She had even come to realize what Derek was her favorite version of Derek. And this Derek, the one sitting next to her, wearing a two-piece suit and tie with his signature bedhead locks that simply fell into place... yeah that was officially her all-time favorite.

"Well, then I guess I shouldn't give you this, huh?" He smirked before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling a small ring box.

"What's that?" She asked; her voice softer now as the fight was slowly leaving her system.

"How do you expect to walk around that room full of people, claiming to be married...without a ring?" He asked her with a smirk playing on his lips. Like he had this planned the entire time. He opened the box, showing her the contents inside.

Her heart sunk. But in a good way, if possible. "I didn't..." She started and yet she couldn't finish. She was simply in awe of the ring that Derek had surprised her with. It was a princess square cut diamond (oh, how very suiting) surrounded by smaller diamonds. The top half of the actual band itself had diamonds within it as well. Along with the engagement ring laid the simply white-gold wedding band that interlocked with the engagement ring. It's safe to say that the ring was bold, shiny, and beyond beautiful.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Put this on." He dismissed the possible awkwardness by taking out the rings and handing them over to her shaky hands.

She nodded before sliding the rings onto her finger without a single thought. "Thank you," she mumbled, almost to herself.

Silence fell over the pair again, an awkwardness that only left her mind with space to fill with her thoughts…thoughts she didn't need at that moment.

She cleared her throat and asked, "What about you?" She tried to act cool about the whole thing, but her breathing was a bit static and her heart still hadn't gone back to normal just yet.

"Yeah, I got one." He muttered before revealing his own wedding band from his jacket pocket as well. He simply slipped it onto his left hand and looked up at her. "Ready?" He asked after unbuckling his seat belt with his hand already at the door handle.

She caught his eyes before they flicked down to her left hand for just a second before meeting her eyes. She smiled, relaxing into his gaze. "Yeah, let's go." She nodded. She was as ready as she'll ever be.

From then on he was a perfect gentleman. Well, no. He's never a _perfect_ gentleman. But still, at least he tried to be. He made an effort. That counts right? Starting in the parking lot, he held out his arm for her to hold on to. That's something he must have learned from _The Art of Being a Gentleman_ (101, because he didn't meet the requirements for the advanced level). They taught that in college, right?

She bit back a smile while hooking an arm around his before wrapping her hand securely around his right bicep. It wasn't until she felt his muscle flex underneath the layers of clothes that she cursed herself. She hadn't realized how much physical contact this night would provide them with. And she wasn't sure if she could deal with being so close to him the entire night.

She didn't dare to comment on it though. She simply took it in stride. He held her close as the cool spring breeze blew past them. The parking lot was silent aside from the clacking of her heels. She swore she heard her own heartbeat, which leads her to believe that he could hear it too. That thought made her freak out about it a bit more, which started the cycle all over again.

The walk from the car to the entrance felt like miles, but finally, they made it to the entrance, together.


	4. Chapter 4

**CPOV**

He dropped his hold on her before slipping passed her to hold the door open like a true gentleman when they reached the front. She tried to keep her eyes from falling out of her head in shock. Derek just didn't seem like the type to open doors for a girl. She brushed it off and led them straight to the lobby where there was a gray haired woman who sat behind a small table full of table cards and name tags.

"Casey McDonald." She spoke confidently, knowing exactly how this worked. She had spent a few hours watching reunion movies, preparing herself for what she may have been in for.

Derek came up behind her but didn't touch her. Not this time. He simply loomed over her like a shadow. She felt the heat radiating off his skin and she wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them and lean back into his body. But she refrained.

"Venturi," Derek quickly corrected from behind her.

She turned halfway towards him while side-stepping him to add a few inches between them. She was worried about what could happen if she didn't. She dropped a hand on her hip, arching an eyebrow and ready to chew him out for that comment. But he seemed to have sensed her reaction and he slipped a hand to the small of her back, pulling her into his side.

"Remember?" He spoke softly, leaning closer to her ear. A flirty tone lingered in his voice along with a sparkle in his eye.

She gulped before biting the inside of her cheek. She wasn't used to seeing Derek like this. She was never really on the receiving end of those bedroom eyes. But she was his wife now, so she would have to get used to the idea…which wasn't happening now so she pulled herself together and smiled before slipping an arm around his waist. She curled into his body perfectly before laying her head down against his shoulder, her high heels had to make it easier. Due to her sudden movement, his hand curled around her lower hip with his fingers splayed across it possessively. She tried not to squirm under his touch like that, but it was hard.

"Sorry, hun. Tag still has my maiden name…to minimize confusion and all that." She replied before turning her attention toward the woman in front of them.

PDA wasn't something Derek particularly liked. At least that's what Casey could remember. There were always rumors about him, but she never saw anything concrete. But boy was she going to find out the hard way how far Derek actually went when it came to PDA. She almost felt guilty that she was excited about it.

She didn't expect Derek to pout though, which was adorable, to be honest. Did he want her to wear his name around all night? Honestly, she wasn't opposed to the idea. But like she explained to him, it was supposed to minimize confusion.

The women at the desk smiled at the adoring couple before giving Casey her name tag and their table card. Casey hated the fact that she would have to stick the obnoxious "Hi My Name Is…Casey McDonald" tag onto her dress. Especially after Derek had made it a point to explain just how good she looked in it. She felt the tag would cheapen her appearance. Derek being her plus one didn't need a tag because no one knew him. So, his appearance remained flawless, and Casey was jealous.

"Here," he smirked before taking her tag into his own fingers and peeling off the back. He leaned down a bit to place the tag onto the material that clung neatly against Casey's hips. That was the only place that had a clean patch of material for the tag to stick to.

Having Derek's fingertips press against her hip seemed to be a theme so early on into the night. And the fact that she liked it may be another. She simply shot him a questioning glare yet she didn't say a thing.

He shrugged, giving no further explanation. In reality, he just didn't need any more attention to be brought to her chest.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his strange antics and let her eyes swim around them. She had already seen a few people she recognized from afar and she couldn't wait to get in and mingle with them.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready," she nodded.

He reached out for her hand before he laced their fingers together easily; this surprised her. Wasn't this supposed to be awkward? Why did it feel like they had done this a thousand times before? Her thoughts were cut off when she felt him brush his fingertips against the ring on her finger before she caught him smirking down at her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before she led them inside the huge double doors.

* * *

 **CPOV**  
  
It was pretty intense, to say the least. The room looked like it was prepped for a wedding or something of that caliber. The tables were decorated with white flower centerpieces and small tea candles which added a pretty glow to the room. Silverware and plates full of salad were laid at every table setting. Fletcher seemed to go all out.

Casey led them to their table first, or at least she tried. A few people seemed to recognize her judging by the slow smiles creeping across their lips when they saw her. She smiled back at familiar faces yet she didn't stop to say hi to anyone. No one was actually at their table when they reached it. But empty wine glasses and a few scattered purses gave her proof that whoever else happened to be at the table were already mingling. Casey dropped her clutch onto the table before his eyes flickered around the room, surveying it like a pro. Derek slipped out of his jacket and draped it onto the back of his chair before falling into an empty seat beside her easily.

There was music playing and a few couples floated around the dance floor. A banner hung above it, saying "Welcome Back Fletcher's Academy: Class of 2009!" The bar seemed to be a hot spot yet most were gathered in small clumps of people, catching up.

* * *

 **CPOV**  
  
Being that Fletcher was an all-girl's school, _most_ of the men there had no idea who the rest of the other women were. They seemed to either be at the bar, or at the table looking bored or at their wife's side as they smiled and pretended to care about all the high school memories the women were sharing with one another.

Derek knew he'd be the latter. He had to smile and be charming and make all her friends envy them. And that was okay yet he wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. They didn't even get to settle down and scope the place out before Angela approached the pair.

"Casey!" She squealed before enveloping Casey into a warm hug. They seemed to sway with each other in the embrace. "My god you look gorgeous!" Angela commented after pulling back to look Casey over properly.

Casey blushed at the compliment. "You look pretty good yourself, Ang."

Angela had a very Jessica Rabbit vibe to her; long reddish-brown locks, big pouty always red lips, killer curves and a small waist that made you doubt she could even be real. All she needed was a red dress with a knee high slip, and she'd look like she's straight out of a cartoon. Not that Derek would ever actually say any of that out loud. He knew Casey would kill him for objectifying her best friend, but it was just so obvious.

"Oh, this?" Angela asked before pointing at her little black dress which exposed her ridiculously long legs. "This was so last minute! I've been so busy planning this thing I forgot about getting myself all dolled up." Angela replied, brushing the comment off.

And suddenly she realized that they weren't alone.

"Derek?!" She asked with her eyes wide in surprise when she realized who Casey's date actually was.

"In the flesh," He replied after getting up from his seat. He pulled her into a quick hug as well. Derek actually saw a lot of Angela during their high school years. She'd stop by every once in a while, for Casey's birthday, or just to catch up. Although they may have not been close, he knew her well enough to be friendly, without his usual flirty side; Angela had always been off limits to him. He was starting to realize why.

"Oh, I knew it would be you two!" Angela squealed while looking back and forth between them in awe.

"You did?" Casey asked while trying not to look too surprised by the confession.

"Oh yeah." She gushed while nodding. "The way you talked about him all the time. And how you'd both go out of your way for each other… Ugh, it was too cute! Plus, you two reeked of sexual tension for years," she shrugged. "I am a little bummed I missed the wedding though," she pouted while actually looking upset about it. But she quickly smiled and grabbed Casey's hand to examine the ring; she clearly approved of Derek choice.

Which, of course, made Derek smirk with pride. He had picked a good one; it was best friend approved!

"It was…" Casey started with a frown, not wanting to lie to her best friend. But she had no choice.

Angela dropped her hand and replied. "No, I totally get it. Small private gathering? Must have been… considering." She stopped for just a beat that felt like an eternity for Angela's norm, "But you've got to show me the pictures at least. Meet up for coffee soon right?" She went on while smiling as usual.

That's the thing about Angela that Casey loved; her bubbly, faster than light energy. She was always talking and conversations were filled with different subjects that it was hard to keep up. But fun, always fun.

"Uh, yeah. Of course!" Casey replied with a beaming smile. Another lie. Just she could deal with that one.

"Cool, okay. I gotta go –" Angela pointed back towards the reunion that she was still in charge of running.

"Yeah, I know. Go ahead, well catch up later," Casey promised yet hoping they actually wouldn't. Because Angela saw through her like water, which is why it was so weird how easily she believed the whole Derek-thing so easily. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. This made Casey think about her relationship with Derek throughout the years and how it had evolved. Was she oblivious? Were there hints that she had clearly been missing for too many years? Although those thoughts momentary clouded her mind, she couldn't really deal with them at the moment. She needed to deal with the reunion.

"Yes, later. It's a must!" Angela squealed before blowing air kisses at the pair. "I want details!" She yelled before walking away.

Casey breathed out heavily as if she had just run a marathon. That's how it felt when she was around Angela. Like a race. She fell into the seat beside Derek. "Angela is-" she started yet she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say. Something else. Angela is something else.

"Just as gorgeous as I remember," Derek finished the sentence for her with his smirk in place.

Her eyes narrowed. "Derek!" She hissed while slapping his arm playfully.

"Sorry Hun," he chuckled before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He leaned in and pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. "Don't worry, you're still the only one for me," he whispered before pulling away to press a soft kiss against her temple.

"You're good at this," she spoke softly with her eyes fluttering due to the warmth of him pressed up against her in that way.

"It's easy," he shrugged before leaning back into his chair yet keeping a possessive arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Too easy," she thought before leaning into him. "What do you think she meant? She knew it would be us?"

"I don't know... Maybe we looked like..." He trailed off.

Looked like what? A couple? "No. No, we hated each other in high school," she tried to argue. "I kind of miss it to be honest." She admitted with a shrug.

"You miss us hating each other?" He asked her with a doubtful look.

"No." She shook her head. "I miss fighting with you. Really fighting; getting red in the face, yelling, all of that. It was very therapeutic," she smiled.

"I'll make a note of that," he replied, amused by her confession.

She sighed heavily. "Guess I should go show you off now, huh?" She asked after a moment.

"Maybe we should go to the bar first though," he suggested. Liquid courage always helped.

"Oh god yes!" She replied before jumping out of her seat. She definitely needed a drink first!

* * *

 **CPOV**  
  
After getting themselves a drinks the mingling started.

Diana asked them about kids. Casey started explaining that they were still young and that they still had time. Derek added that he wanted to enjoy her all to himself before he had to share her.

Mandy gawked at Casey's ring and asked where she could find a nice rich hockey player before she asked about their wedding. Derek said he'd keep an eye out for her. Casey explained the wedding.

"It was only a few months ago. It was extremely small and low key. I just wanted to marry him already," Casey beamed while looking up at him.

"No wonder. You still have the newlywed glow!" Tricia replied which threw Casey off.

Everyone was buying it…and so easily too. But Casey couldn't stop to think about why. She simply smiled it off like a pro.

All the mingling meant that the touching had increased. It was either a lazy arm was draped around her shoulder or he had a protective hold on her that kept her tucked into his side. Or sometimes he'd wrap an arm around her middle which eventually distracted her from everything around her when he'd start to drum his fingertips against her hip. Or there was this one time when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist which resulted in her back being pressed to his chest tightly. She couldn't stop herself from jumping that time, but she covered it up easily by covering his clasped hands that rested on her stomach with her own. She smiled and nodded along to whatever story her friends were saying while Derek hid his smirk in her hair.

But it didn't stop there.

Casey's old classmate, Amanda, couldn't take her eyes off of Derek the entire night. Derek didn't want to point it out to Casey since he didn't want her thinking that he felt smug about it or anything. But Casey noticed right away and took it upon herself to take care of it.

So on top of all that touching, Casey started kissing Derek…not on the lips of anything, not that he'd oppose, but on other places. It started off simple. He barely noticed when she brought their interlaced hands up to her mouth before placing a kiss on his knuckles. Or when she beamed at him before leaning in and pressing her mouth to his cheek. Or when he tucked her into his side and she reached up to kiss his neck, which didn't end there because Casey felt possessive all of a sudden. She bit and sucked on his neck, the soft spot right below his ear until there was a visible mark…while standing in the middle of a room surrounded by all her old classmates and Derek let her. In fact, he had to bit his lip to stop himself from moaning. He had dropped his head to her shoulder at one point so she could work her magic. It was borderline being not suitable for work material, but neither complained.

Amanda however…well, eventually she got the hint.

* * *

 **DPOV**  
They were standing at the bar all wrapped up in each other when Derek and Casey heard someone call her name.

"Casey McDonald?!" A deep voice called from the right of the couple.

Casey turned as best she could with Derek wrapped around her, to see who the voice belonged to, and she was pleasantly surprised to see an old familiar face.

"Sean Williams?" She asked while taking a step away from Derek's grip. She pulled Sean into a friendly hug before he could even answer.

Although the hug was strictly friendly to her, Derek had a whole different view on it. He didn't like the smile on her face or the way she lit up when she realized who had called her. He watched her rise on her tippy toes, to wrap her arms around this Sean guy, and he didn't like it. It's just not a good look to have your wife jump out of your arms and into another man's arms, even if it was only to greet them. It just wasn't right!

"Jesus Case, do you even age?!" Sean asked after pulling away and giving her a clear once over.

Sean looked like Prince Charming, which made Derek dislike him even more. Maybe it was the perfect blonde hair or the blue eyes that matched Casey's, or the way his eyes lingered on her. Whatever it was, Derek hated it.

"No, she simply grew into her shoes," Derek replied before holding a hand out to Sean. "Derek Venturi," he spoke smugly.

Sean nodded while reaching out to shake Derek's hand. "So McDonald got married, huh?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You sound so surprised." Casey scoffed yet clearly offended by the comment. Derek took the opportunity to tuck her into his side protectively with his arm wrapped around her waist once more. And she took it upon herself to lay her head against his chest, which eased his discomfort with Sean.

"I just never thought you'd find a good enough guy," Sean admitted while scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I'm sorry... how do you two know each other?" Derek had to ask because he had to make himself a part of this conversation. He was not to be ignored.

"Sean was in Fletcher's Academy For Boys the same year as me. We ran into each other at school functions," Casey explained.

"And prom," he smirked while giving Casey a knowing look, a look that Derek wanted to know the reason behind.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Ahh yes, prom." Casey blushed against her better judgment.

"That was a blast," Sean confirmed before looking up at Derek; Sean's look was a bit too smug for Derek's taste.

"Who are you here with?" Casey asked quickly changing topics. She must have felt the hostility between the pair.

"Uh... Olivia," he spoke, almost embarrassed.

"Olivia Martin? You two...really? How cliché!" Casey laughed.

"Head cheerleader and quarterback," he commented for Derek's sake.

This only reminded Derek of Max, which only pissed him off further.

"We did have a reputation to keep," Sean replied to Casey.

"That's insane," Casey commented.

"Seems so. What about you…how did this happen?" He asked while pointing between the pair.

"We meet in high school after I transferred." She beamed while looking up at Derek like he was the gravity holding her in place. Spacey's anchor, so to say.

"Well, you must be one hell of a man to have stolen Casey's heart. Trust me, every guy in the boy's academy would have killed to go out with her."

"Oh really?" Derek asked, clearly intrigued in the possibility of Casey having guys just fall at her feet.

"Not _every_ guy," she blushed again before hiding a bit into Derek's side.

Derek liked the way she was shy and embarrassed about this new information. He moved his arm up to her shoulder, pulling her into a half hug.

"So, where's your other half, Casey?" Sean chuckled.

He couldn't see her face given their stance, but he felt her stiffening up against his side. "Other half?" Derek asked while looking at Sean since he wasn't sure if he meant another guy.

"Vicky," Sean replied.

"It's _Victoria_ now," Casey shot back almost immediately.

Casey almost forgot all about Vicky when she started thinking about the reunion. But a much needed trip to her old yearbook reminded her. She was about to call the whole thing quits until she realized that Vicky would not be attending the event. In fact, her exact words were "I have so much better things to do than go back and see the people I hated." With that being said Casey felt confident that Vicky would not show up, and her plan continued.

"Of course it is," Sean mumbled while sounding unimpressed.

"She's around. Paris last I heard, munching on some guy's millions," Casey shrugged while sounding uninterested.

"Must be nice."

"I'm sure it is," Casey replied dryly.

Derek noticed her discomfort and offered her a way out. He leaned down towards her, "Let's dance," he whispered through her hair yet loud enough for only her to hear.

She nodded before excusing herself quickly from Sean. She left her drink at a random table before Derek pulled her to the small, nearly empty, dance floor.

* * *

  
**DPOV**

"Let's give them something to be jealous about," he offered with that twinkle in his eye shining brightly again.

He slipped his arms around her before pulling her flush against him. If only there were fewer layers of clothing between them. Her hands wrapped around his neck as they rocked to the rhythm of the music. Suddenly he remembered how good of a dancer she was. The things she could do with her hips were beyond dangerous. And getting worked up on the dance floor was not on his to-do list. But then again...

"Did you sleep with him?" He asked after a while with his fingers pressing into her hips again. He couldn't help it, he was possessive about his wife.

"Who?" She asked, knitting her eyebrows.

"Sean Williams," Derek mimicked the blonde's voice.

"No. We just... Hooked up a few times is all."

"It's weird seeing this side of you." He admitted while looking down at her. He pushed the hair out of her face with one hand.

"What side?"

"Casey McDonald: the girl wanted by every guy in the boy's academy."

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it. "The guys in the boy's academy were different. They actually wanted a smart girl. Regardless of my braces! You jealous?" She teased.

He wanted to mention Amanda, and how she was jealous about that, so much so that she had overstepped possible boundaries between them to stake her claim. But he didn't because he really liked that hickey.

"Nah. I'm the one that got to marry you." He said with a smug smile.

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning around and grinding her back into him. And _wow_ , he really wasn't expecting that, it was hot. It wasn't silly and fun like it used to be. Not like this. It was nothing like he remembered way back when. It was the complete opposite.

His hands brushed over her curves, and his hips rocked deliciously against hers and it was good. So good that he forgot where they were and why they were there. But they were doing something right because by the time they were done a lot more couples were grinding on the dance floor as if they just remembered how fun it used to be back in high school. And a few more simply stared at them…which made Casey flush with embarrassment. But hey… it was nice.

* * *

**DPOV:**

Eventually, it got to be too much and they needed a break and some fresh air. Derek led them back towards their table. He fell into his seat while she stole her clutch before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. That left Derek alone at the empty table. He didn't mind too much. It was nice to have a minute of clear oxygen to breathe.

He pulled out his phone for the first time since they had gone in. He had a few emails, texts from the kiddies to answer, and a missed call from his coach. Nothing that couldn't wait till tomorrow, he convinced himself.

"Excuse me," a voice called to him from his right.

Derek looked up from his phone to see what looked like another husband who was dragged to the reunion.

"I don't mean to bother you but…you're Derek right? Center for the Leafs?" The guy asked awkwardly.

A fan. Derek could deal with fans easy. "Uh, yeah. Hey," Derek smiled before offering a hand for the man to shake.

"Jeremy. Sharon's husband," He clarified while shaking Derek's hand.

"Oh, I think I meet her... at some point," Derek replied. "I've met a lot of people tonight," he admitted with a shrug.

Jeremy nodded understanding. "I guess even big shots like you have to come along to these kinds of things, huh?" He laughed while stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Derek laughed while shaking his head. "I guess so."

"Which one of these lovely ladies is yours?" Jeremy's asked before looking towards the crowd of women gathered around.

"Casey. McDonald, or well, Venturi." Derek clarified with a smirk. "She's in the restroom."

"Wait…you're married?" Jeremy asked. He must have seen Derek's ring and put the things together.

Derek nodded and he found himself liking the sound of it. Why hadn't he thought about marriage before? "Yeah," he replied.

"Wow, man, Congrats! Here I thought you were the playboy of the team!"

"It was a small ceremony, wanted to keep it out of the press." Derek shrugged.

"Oh, I get it. There always talking about you in the press man. Some nasty stuff too."

Derek nodded; he didn't really keep up-to-date with the stories. His PR rep took care of everything. Most of it was never true. And the few rare true stories were about him buying a new car, or going on vacation, or when he was doing press and had to travel.

"Alright, well I think I'm being summoned," Jeremy replied after looking passed Derek to a woman at the bar that was beckoning him over. "Keep up the good work. Hopefully, we'll see the Stanley Cup this year with you," Jeremy added.

"Thanks, man," Derek nodded, accepting the compliment. He returned to his phone once more.

Casey appeared moments later, looking refreshed and good as new. "What did I miss?" Casey asked after slipping into the empty seat next to Derek.

Derek shook his head. "Nothing at all."

* * *

 **CPOV:**  
  
The rest of the night continued with a similar theme. When the party had dwindled down Casey said her goodbyes, exchanged a few numbers and emails (that he knew she'd never use), and they were finally ready to go. He slipped his suit jacket over her shoulders before taking her hand and leading her out.

"That was nice of you," she smiled while letting him lead the way.

"Don't say I never did anything for you," he teased before sticking his tongue out at her playfully.

She rolled her eyes as she braced the nightly breeze as they walked hand and hand through the parking lot.

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 **DPOV:**  
The night seemed peaceful as they drove back home. The dark sky and even a few twinkly stars made an appearance. It wasn't too late but the roads were empty, which Derek loved. He pressed his foot onto the pedal a little harder, letting the engine purr underneath him. He smirked as he loved the feeling of going fast. It gave him an adrenaline rush that couldn't compare to anything else.

"So, how do you feel?" Derek asked her.

He didn't take his eyes off the empty slate of highway, taking notice of the way the headlights illuminated the otherwise dark path. The light glowed off the pavement as it was still wet from the afternoon's rain.

Casey was still curled up in his suit jacket in the passenger side seat with her legs tucked in underneath her. She looked exhausted yet content. The entire scene had a hint of a romantic vibe to it, like something out of a Nicholas Sparks movie or something, Derek thought for just a second.

"How do I feel about _what_?" She murmured with signs of exhaustion lingering in her voice.

"Tonight. Was it everything you could imagine and more?" He teased before peeking at her from the corner of his eye.

She straightened up a bit before turning her body towards him. She thought about it for a second as she let the night's events replay in her mind. "I think it went well." She nodded. "And, Sharon was pretty jealous of you," she replied with a wicked smile and a devious glint in her eyes.

"Sharon..." He spoke the name while trying to remember why it was familiar. Casey had prepped him on a bunch of names and people he would meet before the reunion. But he didn't listen to most of it. Still, the name stood out like a sore thumb and he didn't know why. "Who is she again?" He asked.

"Bully from Fletcher," Casey scoffed, rolling her eyes.

He remembered. Casey went on an hour long rant on how bad she was and how she was even worse than dealing with Vicky on a daily basis. Sharon really seemed to traumatize Casey all those years ago. He didn't know Casey could hold a grudge on anyone… but if she did, it would be on Sharon.

"Interesting," he chuckled to himself.

"Uh oh... What happened?" She asked cautiously yet expecting the worst. She was debating on whether she actually wanted to know or not.

"Oh, nothing. But her husband just so happens to be a fanboy." Derek grinned.

"No!" She gasped while turning towards him as best she could under the seat belt's restraint. "You're kidding!" She added. She sat back into her seat, thinking about it for a second. "I could just kiss you Der," she laughed, giddy about the whole thing. So, Sharon was definitely jealous of Casey, and her husband just so happened to be a pretty big fan of Derek as well? Turned out to be a good night after all!

Derek doesn't blush. So, he didn't blush when she said that. Nope. That didn't happen. He just chose to ignore that last part.

"Nope. He came over and introduced himself." Derek shrugged yet feeling embarrassed strangely enough.

"That's awesome," she added while smiling.

It was weird. She was happy. And she didn't expect herself to be. She thought something would go wrong…because something always goes wrong, doesn't it? The whole lie was supposed to explode in her face before ending badly. She's glad it didn't, obviously. But in all the movies she watched to prep herself for the night, something always went wrong. She was prepared for the night to end in tears. This was a wonderful turnout. And for that, they had to celebrate.

"Hey, I was thinking…" Casey started after a while.

"That's never good."

"Hey, I take offense to that."

"What were you thinking?" He asked, getting her back on track, before looking at her for a second.

"That we are actually even." She replied with a smug smile while not taking her eyes off of him.

"Even? You mean about tonight?" He asked in disbelief. "Cause there is no way in hell we're even. You owe me _big_ McDonald. Huge! I'm talking-"

Casey clearly didn't want to hear what was at the end of that sentence, so she cut him off quickly. "Not a chance! Do you remember calling me the Grade Grubber in high school?"

"Yeah?" He asked while knotting his eyebrows confused.

"Well, remember when you tricked me into helping you on that English project? And we dressed up as Percy and Mary Shelley?"

"Yeah," he said again while dragging the word out slowly. He still didn't understand what the point was.

"They were a married couple." She pointed out.

"Still not following." He shook his head.

"I risked my rep to get a passing grade for you!"

"You didn't have a rep," he corrected.

"Der-ek!" She whined.

"So what, you saved my ass once-"

"Oh, we both know I saved your ass more than once! And to be fair, you saved mine tonight, on similar terms! We're even Venturi!"

"So not. We didn't even have to act married then! There was no dirty grinding or hickies involved," he pouted.

"And what a shame that is," Casey smirked.

* * *

By the time Derek parked the car and came upstairs, Casey was barefoot and slumped over her kitchen counter. He heard her moaning a little too deeply due to a massive piece of red velvet cake that sat in front of her. The sounds she was making alone were enough to make Derek run out of there. But he was a sadistic man, so clearly he stayed.

"I hope you saved me some," he groaned walking straight into the kitchen. But he wasn't sure if he meant the cake or Casey.

"Not a chance," she hissed. She brought a forkful into her mouth before humming with delight as the spongy red cake and creamy frosting touched her tongue. She wrapped her lips around the fork tight before slowly pulling it away from her mouth, making sure to lick up all the icing off of it before pulling it out.

Derek watched her, memorized by her mouth and tongue.

"Tease," he breathed out hoarsely trying his best to blink out of the daze. He too leaned against the counter next to her before using his fingers to steal some of the delicious frostings from the piece of cake.

She rolled her eyes at his terrible childish ways but didn't say anything about it. She put her fork down and swiped her mouth clean. "Unzip me?" She asked after putting her fork down and turning her back towards him.

He didn't think much about it. He licked his fingers clean and wiped them on his pants because he wouldn't dare get any icing on that ridiculously tight and perfect dress of hers. He pushed her hair off to one shoulder easily, and then he froze.

The dress exposed a bit of her upper back, he knew that, but he hadn't thought about it until that moment. He wasn't sure what possessed him to even think about it but he wanted nothing more than to press his lips to the top of her shoulder and inch his way down her spine, but he knew he couldn't. He shook his head, shaking his thoughts away.

He slowly pulled the tiny silver zipper down her back. The room was suddenly silent, so much so that he swore he could hear the links of the zipper open one by one. Was he going that slowly? He wasn't sure yet he kept pulling and pulling, revealing more and more of Casey's skin to his hungry eyes. He reached her black strapless bra and kept pulling until he reached the small of her back. His fingertip skipped down the center of her back, itching to feel the way her body shivered under his touch.

And he thought he had reached the bottom, he still hadn't. The zipper went almost down the entire dress. And although he knew he had opened it big enough for her to step out of it, he didn't stop. He couldn't resist touching her. He ghosted his index finger down her spine as he pulled the zipper down until he saw the beginning of her black lacy boy shorts. But still the zipper didn't stop, and he had gone that far, he was going to go all the way.

He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, catching it between his teeth as he pulled the zipper the rest of the way down her sculpted body. Finally, he hit the bottom, which just so happened to be halfway down Casey's ass. Which, well damn, she had a very nice one too.

He dropped his hand from her dress completely before stepping away from her. He needed to put space between them. Because he had literally just undressed her, and he was having thoughts float around his head and space would just do them both a lot of good.

"Thanks," she whispered before turning halfway towards him. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue than he was used to seeing.

"Welcome," he replied, coughing awkwardly, reaching for her forgotten fork.

"I'm gonna go change…" She trailed off.

"You go do that," he replied while keeping his eyes locked on the not-as-delicious cake in front of him to minimize the awkwardness.

* * *

 **CPOV**  
  
She took off all her makeup, pulled her hair into a ponytail before she changed into an old Queens t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants as she tried her best to calm down.

"So, being Mrs. Venturi was interesting. Wasn't as bad as I expected," she smirked while walking back into the kitchen.

He was sitting on one of the stools across the counter as he finished off the rest of her red velvet cake. His white shirt was suddenly missing a few buttons with his tie pulled open and hanging lower on his chest.

"Well, I'm a good husband obviously." He replied like it was no big deal.

"What, you've had practice?" She joked before getting them a pair of wine glasses from the cupboard and a wine bottle to celebrate a successful night.

"Well... you know," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I like to play house sometimes." He winked before grabbing one of the glasses she had poured for them. He quickly took a much needed sip.

She looked up at him with a grin on her lips as she shook her head. "What, like in _bed_? Really? That does it for you?" She asked while leaning onto the counter with her elbows propped up like she was interested in the answer. Did he really get off on the idea? It put a whole new spin to the "Honey I'm home," line she pulled on him a few weeks ago. That night could have gone very differently if she would have known. But did she want that with Derek…?

He licked his lips slowly, lapping up any leftover red wine. "Willing to find out?" He asked before narrowing his eyes. And maybe it was just the alcohol talking. But he had only had two drinks back at the reunion since he had to drive them back yet Casey had been drinking. Not as much as it seemed though. He'd get a drink at the bar but she wouldn't even finish it before getting pulled away by someone who wanted a picture leaving her forgotten drink on any random table. But she was definitely more buzzed than he was. But she had learned to hold her liquor in college so he knew she was still in control.

Casey's breath hitched noticeably which only made Derek look even more smug about it. She didn't know if she should answer. Did she want to find out? Clearly, she should say no; boundaries damnit! Since when had her and Derek's relationship changed to the point where she had to stop and actually consider one of his backhanded comments? Was it even a backhanded comment anymore? Was there any truth to it? Too many thoughts were spinning around her head at the moment. So much so that she couldn't make herself reply. Maybe she was supposed to counter it with an insult. Dismiss the comment, ignore it completely.

Needing to fill the silence, Derek spoke again. "I'm just saying... maybe I can get you to call me _amazing_ again. Does my ego good." He added with a chuckle.

And that was it. At least that's what made her mind up about the whole situation. She needed to confront Derek somehow.

"It's all about your ego, isn't it?" She groaned, unimpressed. She swirled the wine in her glass and watched as it spun around instead of watching him because that was easier than looking at him with this weird yet intense version of their usual sexually tensed encounters.

"Hey, if you want it to be all about you, just say the word. I'd be more than willing to comply," He added with his voice huskier and deeper. And she really, _really_ didn't need to hear him use his bedroom voice on her.

She looked up at him with her mouth slightly open because wow, he really just said that. "Shut up," she finally said. Because that's the best comeback she could come up with. Her brain was mush and she had been drinking most of the night. And if she finished that glass she wasn't sure what would happen.

"You know, Miranda was asking all about our sex life tonight." He smirked while leaning against the back of his stool with a smug smile.

"What?! What did you say?" She asked almost panicked because she wasn't one to be so open about her sex life. But Derek on the other hand…

"Well...safe to say, David was it? Yeah, he's not satisfying her needs as well as I do yours." He shrugged as if it were nothing.

"WHAT!" She yelled before slamming her hands against the counter with her eyes blown wide in horror. Derek satisfying her needs. _Derek satisfying her needs_. **Derek satisfying her needs.** (What were her needs? And just how was he satisfying them?)

"What, was I supposed to be subtle? You know that's not my nature. And if you wanted a nice quiet boy to marry, you would have. But you picked me." He smirked while knowing he had the upper hand.

"You're never going to let this go, are you?" She sighed before running a hand through her hair, messing her ponytail up a bit. She was tempted to just pull it out because wow, she didn't think that one through huh? He was going to hold that over her for their entire lives.

"Not in a million years, babe."

"Fuck. My. Life." She cursed, throwing her head back.

* * *

**DPOV**

  
Derek's mind instinctively came back with a reply. _I'd love to. Just tell me when._ But he stopped himself before his thoughts got too detailed of how exactly he could..."You got to stop making it so easy for me," he chuckled while rubbing his face with his free hand.

"Easy?" She asked confused. "How do I make it easy?" She scoffed.

"Everything you say, I have twenty different innuendos that would make you-"

"Why are you so obsessed with that tonight?" She finally asked, cutting him off because she didn't need to hear the end of that sentence. Especially because the word she was thinking was _wet_. And they did not need to go there. They **really** didn't.

He sighed before staring at her blankly for a second. "Cause I watched you change into twenty dresses until you found that one." He pointed to her bedroom, and the way she was leaning forward on the counter was really not helping him and his view to her chest. "I had to pretend to be your husband all night and talk about our nonexistent sex life. It does things to a guy Casey!" He explained before running a frustrated hand through his hair. Literal sexual frustration. "I should just get out of here," he decided before getting up from his seat.

"Or, you could stay over," she spoke softly before he went too far.

"And why would I do that?" He asked, turning to face her again. He looked upset, torn, and frustrated and all because of her.

"Cause I'm sick of hearing you. Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is Venturi, I dare you."

And with that said, she started walking towards her bedroom. Along the way, she stripped off her red Queens t-shirt before letting it fall to the floor without a care. He watched her walk away, revealing her back to him for the second time that night. And this time she wore nothing underneath and she was giving him full permission to look at the rest of her.

His eyes went wide but it wasn't enough to shut him up. "I don't know about my money, but I can definitely put my mouth-"

"Prove it," she groaned all the way from her bedroom.

And suddenly there was no place Derek would rather be than in Casey's bed, proving himself to her.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grab yourself a glass of wine or something and enjoy.

 

Derek followed her into her bedroom while unsure of exactly how they had ended up in this predicament.

He found her standing at the foot of her bed with an unreadable expression across her features. He didn't know what the look meant. Her face looked like stone; she didn't look mad but sort of determined. She was just staring at him. He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he couldn't look down at her half naked body. Not yet. He kept his eyes front and center locked on her hers because he was terrified of what she'd do to him if he looked. _Castration_ flashed with a warning sign in his mind…which seemed ridiculousness because she was the one that started this whole thing. She was the one who took her shirt off and told him to prove it. But still, he wasn't sure. She had had a few drinks. He was still pretty sober, considering. Maybe he should just walk away...

But he didn't. He couldn't. Not unless she told him to. He stepped right up to her, closing the space between them, leaving them toe to toe, chest to chest. He was painfully aware of how easy it would be to touch her, or tackle her back onto her bed that was just behind her. But he held his ground as she did hers. She stood tall in only a pair of tight black yoga pants. Her dark eyes just stared back at his, waiting.

He wasn't sure what she wanted him to do, or well how to start, strangely enough. Hesitantly his hands reached out to cradle her face. The pads of his thumbs brushed over her cheeks gently. That seemed to break her trance and it made her soften up to him. He was going to kiss her. He had to kiss her.  He needed to kiss her and get that out of his system once and for all.

He leaned in slowly, giving her enough time to back away. He watched her eyes begin to flutter the closer he got. He parted his lips just enough to catch her bottom lip between his own. Her lips felt like silk and they tasted like red wine, what a lethal combination; it made him want more. He pulled away just a centimeter to see her reaction. Her eyes remained closed with her face tilted up at him as if she was waiting for another kiss. And so he complied by pressing quick soft kisses against her lips. He liked the sound their lips made together. He deepened the kiss, this time not pulling away.

She seemed to have the same idea and soon they were in too deep. Her hands were around his neck, pulling him even closer while balancing herself as she stood up on the tips of her toes to reach him better. She didn't let him lead them; she fought against him just like he hoped she would. But still there was something off, and he didn't like it.

He pulled away from her a bit before leaning his forehead against hers, trying to catch his breath. "Stop overthinking this," he mumbled, tripping over his words.

Casey huffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not." She gritted out.

Derek rolled his eyes, unimpressed, before dropping his hands from her face and letting them slip down her curvy side until they landed on her hips. "I can _hear_ you freaking out. Relax," he urged her.

Derek was nervous about looking at her…really seeing her. It's not like he had never seen her, he had seen Casey's body in ten different states of undress before. But he tried to block that part out of his mind. There were just too many times that he had barged in on Casey changing, or finishing up in the shower. He got more than an eye full. But this was different. This was Casey allowing him to look at her. And the blush that came from it this time, it was completely different.

He finally allowed himself to look away from her eyes. His eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips. Down her neck, which would look amazing when sporting a few hickeys, he noted for future reference. Next was her collarbone with her necklace falling into place…then the swell of her breasts, which wow! That was going to take some getting use it. His eyes didn't drift far for a moment, lingering there for a bit and you couldn't really blame the guy. He looked down to her stomach, which he wasn't sure how she managed to keep it flat since all she ate was take-out with no time for the gym. But now was not the time to consider any of that. Because at her hips, peeking out from her yoga pants he saw black lace that only reminded him of the scene in the kitchen a few minutes ago. His mouth watered in anticipation. He wanted to flick his tongue against the black lace before using his teeth to pull the garment off her body completely. But there would be time for that, and all of his other fantasies. The night was still young, and he had permission from Casey herself.

"Bed," he demanded, suddenly feeling breathless.

She looked like she was going to fight him on that. Not because she didn't want to lay down, but because he was telling her what to do. But regardless of the way her face scrunched up and her mouth opened to disagree, she complied. She turned her back to him for a moment before crawling up to the middle of the bed; she laid on her back and looked up at him expectantly.

He smirked, enjoying how easily she obeyed. He liked how good she looked, half naked and waiting for him. He reached up to pull his tie all the way open and unbuttoning the rest of his white shirt. He didn't take it off, he didn't have time. Seeing her all laid out in front of him…he just felt this need to cover her up with his own body. He had to feel his naked chest pressed up against her.

He kept his weight mostly off of her, balancing himself on his forearms enough so he wasn't crushing her. He dipped down to claim her lips once more. He nibbled on her bottom lip, tugging at it, before he pulled away from the kiss. Her hands were all over him, sliding up and down his chest before they reached up to push the shirt off his shoulders.

He pulled away after a while before looking down at her with a glint in his eyes.

"Come on Der," she whined. She brought one hand to the back of his neck to pulling him down for another kiss. The other hand slipped down to his waist to pull on his belt as best she could in between their flush bodies.

He laughed against her lips, enjoying her enthusiasm, before pulling away after a few more not-so-innocent kisses. "You're gonna have to give me a second here, Case." He explained.

"For what?" She pouted. And it only made him want to pull her back, but he didn't. There would be time for that later.

"What, you think I wasn't going to take my time? You thought I was going to just jump right in?" He asked with a chuckle. "I'm gonna make this worth it, Case." He promised. "I told you it can be _all_ about you. But you're gonna have to let me do this my way." He leaned in until he was centimeters away from her lips and whispered. "I gotta figure out what makes you tick first. And that might take all night." He growled before kissing her one more time. He only pulled away when breathing became an issue.

She seemed to accept his terms, and let him move at his own pace. He moved down her body, littering kisses all over her neck and down to her chest. He swirled his tongue along her sweet skin, nibbling and biting gently, while listening to her reaction.

He realized that Casey was quiet, which was strange because she loved to talk all too much. He always imagined what she sounded like in bed. Filthy, he imagined. Running her mouth with nasty curses she would dare use outside of the bedroom. But this wasn't what he expected. And now he couldn't decide what was hotter. Was he doing a good enough job to shut Casey up? Having her quiet due to her inability to form words...which was it?

She may not be speaking much, but he measured her reactions by the sounds she made; her gasps, the whining that came from the back of her throat, the grunts, the whimpering, and especially the hitches in her breath when he did something she liked. Like when his teeth grazed her breast and he sucked her into his mouth gently. He made of note of that and all of her other pressure points yet he continued the trail down her body until he hit the top of her yoga pants. He looked up at her, awaiting permission.

She nodded through hooded eyes.

His fingertips dipped under the hem, pulling it down her hips, slowly revealing her black lacy boy shorts once again. He could have slipped those off too, but he didn't because he was taking his time, and he had his own plan for those. He discarded the pants somewhere on the floor before moving back to her mouth again, giving her a bruising kiss.

"Do you trust me?" He asked with his hot breath against the shell of her ear before his nose grazed against her neck, back and forth.

"I'm terrified to answer that question." She admitted, her voice was already shakily.

"Case...I need you to trust me," he almost begged. Because if she said no... He couldn't do it. He'd have to walk away.

She stared back at him for a minute, and then nodded, "I trust you." She whispered.

"So you're going to let me do this my way?" He asked slowly, making sure she understood what he was asking her.

She nodded, but he knew how strange that was for her. She was always so dominate and in control. She tried her best not to put herself in a vulnerable position. But he wouldn't hurt her; he wouldn't take advantage of her. But she needed to trust him first.

"No touching," he shook his head before he slowly removed her hands that were tangled in his hair.

She looked at him, confused for a second, but nodded again.

"No. Touching," he repeated with a smirk; his voice suddenly stern and demanding.

She laid motionless for a second with her chest rising and falling, with her frantic breathing. But after a second she replied by bring her joint wrist up to above her head. His mind flashed to the idea of handcuffs. Casey was willingly telling him to bind her? Yes, yes she was.

He nearly came on the spot.

He sat back on his knees that were at either side of her hips, the idea screaming in his mind. His hands fell to the tie around his neck before he pulled it off slowly. He slipped the tie between his fingers, feeling the silk against his fingertips. He was glad he had chosen that particular one for that night. He debated for a second if he was actually going to do this. Actually tie Casey up, leaving her to his mercy. And yes, yes he was. He watched as her eyes went wide with the thought of what he was telling her.

"Still trust me?" He asked one more time.

She looked between him and the silk tie and nodded yet another time. He took a deep breath and leaned forward to wrap the tie around her wrist loosely. It was mostly for appearances. She could get out of it easily if she wanted. He wasn't sure about her sexual past or how kinky Casey could actually be, but he liked finding out. He didn't bother tying them to her bed or anything. She wasn't ready for anything like that just yet. At least not with him.

"Der," she mewed from underneath him.

"Hmm?" he asked before leaning down to her lips once more.

"Clothes. Off." She groaned against his mouth; her hips were arching up to reach his, trying to get some kind of friction between the pair.

He knew that ultimately he was in control of the situation which was crazy because Casey really did trust him with this. And being in control meant he could have easily denied her, but he didn't. Because at the end of the night, this was about her and if she wanted him out of his clothes, he would comply. So he got off of her and slipped his shirt off his shoulders, throwing it behind him. He moved down to pull his belt open and unzip his pants, letting them pool at his knees before kicking them off. He liked the way she stared so blatantly at his chest and abs as he undressed; her eyes locked onto his body just felt _good._

Although he really wanted to make a comment on the way she was looking at him, he had better uses for his mouth. He kneeled at her feet and started at her ankle. He pressed a kiss at the sensitive flesh above her heel. He moved his way up her leg while littering puppy kisses all over skin until he reach her thigh. He laid on his stomach in between her legs and sunk his teeth into the tender flesh on the inside of her thigh. He heard her groan in response. He smirked against her skin while nibbling and sucking as he left a mark in its place. He liked the way she took it upon herself to put her leg over his shoulder, wrapping it around his neck and giving him more space to work with. It seemed liked he was doing something right. After a while he went back down to her other leg and repeated the similar process.

He finally got around to pulling at the hem of her boy shorts and found a surprise before he managed to slip it down any lower. On her lower hip, easily concealed by her underwear, across the scar from her appendix surgery, Casey had a tattoo. It was small and easy to cover up. It was a black minimalistic balanced scale. He knew instantly why she had chosen it. She was always into astrology and her horoscope which just so happen to be a Libra. Also, the scale represented the idea of fairness in law, which connected to her being a lawyer.

He looked up at her in shock while she looked down at him with a smirk. He chuckled to himself, realizing that there was a lot more to Casey that he didn't even know. He reached out to trace the small tattoo with his fingertips. He then leaned forward and lapped at it, tracing messing lines over it with the tip of his tongue. He moved on from the tattoo and lapped at her hip bone, nibbling there enough to leave his mark while liking the way it dipped down. His eyes flickered up at hers and she was frustrated. She wanted to touch him, he knew that. She wanted to guide his mouth a little more to the center of her body, where she really needed him. And he would comply… in due time.

After spending enough time on the tattoo, he pressed kisses against her lower hip, over the lace material of her underwear. He knew it was thin enough for her to feel his wet kisses and tongue tracing over the material. He spread her legs wider, giving himself more space to work with, and ducked his head a bit lower. She took the hint and swung both her legs over his shoulder once again. He lifted her hips up to his mouth. He used the flat of his tongue to lick and swipe right up her center. Instantly he heard her chocked out cries of pleasure, and he felt her heels press into his back. He smirked, knowing he was doing something right and did it again and again. He mixed it up by biting and sucking at her center, and everywhere he could reach given his position below her. He kept going until she was thrashing above him.

Although he liked the idea of pleasing her, the noises coming out of her were doing a number on his own body. So, he decided to stop teasing and he reached up to pull the soaked garment off of her body. He sat up, letting her legs fall back onto the bed and pulled it down her legs, slowly revealing to himself the beauty that was Casey. After admiring her flushed red body due to his actions, he kissed his way up her legs again, faster this time. Even he was impatient.

This time he repeated his actions again without the offending underwear in between her body and his mouth. He teased her with the tip of his tongue, drawing out letters across her heat. Spelling things out he knew she was too far gone to even register. His hand had slipped behind her, cupping her bottom, and keeping her hips from bucking too badly. He could spend the rest of the night there just sucking and kissing on her core, but he had other ideas in mind as well.

He pulled away once more, making Casey wince in disappointment. That was until she realized what he was doing. He pulled his boxer briefs off in one quick swipe before laying completely on top of her. This time he made his way up to her lips.

"This okay?" He asked and if she said no, well it was going to be pretty awkward because she could feel him, completely without any barrier, between them this time. And there was just no going back to normality after that.

She replied by finding his lips once again, whimpering into the kiss with need. He groaned while finally lining them up. He pushed in slowly, giving her a minute or two to adjust. But Casey didn't seem to like that plan. She quickly wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him flush against her, and burying him deep inside her.

"Fu-" He growled into her mouth; he was unprepared for that sudden change in pace.

She shifted her position underneath him by lifting her legs up higher on his hips while biting down on his lips. Her head fell back down onto her pillow, her eyes closed and her mouth hanging open. The breath seemed to be stolen from her very lungs. She took it upon herself to set their rhythm, rocking against him slowly, painfully slow for Derek who had had very little pleasure on his end. But he matched her pace, rocking back and forth while sucking on her neck and chest and anywhere he could reach before finding her swollen lips again.

At some point it just wasn't enough. He _needed_ her in _every_ way. So he reached up with one hand pulling on one end of the tie and pulling her wrist apart easily. He instantly felt her fingers gripped onto a handful of his hair and her legs tighten around him. He liked being in control and having Casey all tied up, but he also liked how she still got her way. He could have stopped her, and reprimanded her for disobeying (and oh, the possibilities of that) but he liked the way she felt when touching him; he couldn't ask her to stop. He _couldn't_ deny himself the pleasure. Not anymore.

She managed to pick her head off of the pillow before ducking her face into the crook of his neck. And he expected to feel her soft lips against his skin, but instead he felt her teeth bite down on his flesh. The same spot she had marked him with a hickie only hours ago. The skin was still tender underneath her teeth; that combined with the memory of before was enough to send more blood pulsing down Derek's body. His breath hitched and his movements stilled because there was just no way that he could move afterwards, which only egged her on more. She looped her arms under his and sunk her nails deep into the muscles of his back before dragging them down at a painfully slow pace that only turned Derek on more.

"Case," he groaned before slamming his hips against hers with his forehead falling against her shoulder out of defeat. He let her feel all his weight on top of her, and she didn't seem to mind. He reached up his free hand and interlaced his fingers with hers before bringing their joint hands above her head as they rocked together. He looked up and noticed the way her ring sparkled in between the moonlight, illuminating the room.

"Der," she finally cried out.

* * *

Round two was a little different. The power shift changed, and his tie was once again used, but to blindfold him. Clearly that time Casey was in complete control.

Then things got a bit sticky when Derek took a few body shots off of Casey's naked body. He poured the liquor in her belly button, and he slurped it all out before licking the salt from her chest then stealing a kiss. And then he tried the combination countless of times yet in different ways…until he was buzzed and she was shaking under him.

The rest was a blur. The sun was rising, casting shadows across their bodies, and they were exhausted but determined.

* * *

"I really need to shower." Derek spoke from beside her with his arm tucked under his head with his body loosely covered by a bed sheet.

Casey was spent and disgusted with the feeling of sweat being mixed with everything else that was still sticking on every part of her body. "I can't be bothered to move." She admitted; regardless of how she felt, her muscles ached and her mind was fuzzy. She wasn't sure if it was all a dream or if it was real.

"This is your fault." He added before turning his head to look at her better.

"This time… I think I'm okay with that." She turned to face him.

"Regret it yet?" He asked; it was supposed to be a joke. But there was a lot more truth behind it than he'd care to admit. He was terrified she'd full on freak-out about it once the sun was fully up and the new day had started.

"Not yet. Give it a few hours." She smiled softly.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Does that mean I have time for-"

"If you can find the energy," she finished before he had the chance to finish the sentence.

He didn't let her words process; he just rolled over and let her take all his weight before he dipped his head back down to meet her lips. He could always find the energy for her.

* * *

"Hey Der," she spoke after a while. Her voice cracked a bit, sore like the rest of her body. She'd be feeling that for a while and yet it was okay because it had been a while and she needed to release all that pent up frustration.

"Hmm?" He hummed, pretty tried with all the night and _day's_ events.

"Where'd you get this ring?" She asked slowly while spinning it around her ring finger with her thumb. Because this was a good enough time as any to talk about it, right? They had both sobered up a while ago.

"At the store," he answered before rolling onto his side to get a better look at her. The room was glowing orange, it was 6 am, but he still managed to stay awake enough to talk to her.

"When'd you get it?" She tried laying her hands flat against her stomach, clasping them tight.

"A few days ago."

"Why?"

"Because my wife needed one." He shrugged.

She didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say. The words flowed out of his mouth like it was just obvious. He was so smooth all the time! It made it hard to stay away, and to keep up with the facade that they had established years ago.

"Well," she sighed before reaching for the ring again. "You can take it back tomorrow," she pulled off the rings slowly before placing them on the bedside table.

"I had no intention of returning it," he replied with a furrowed brow.

"It must have cost a fortune," she fought.

This time he didn't reply. And she wasn't sure why. Maybe he was falling asleep. Or maybe she was right. Maybe it did cost him a lot.

"Derek."

"It's fine, Casey. Keep it. Wear it around. Claim to be married some more." He smirked. "I know you like the feeling," he added.

She groaned out of embarrassment, swatting his arm playfully.

"Or you can wear it on another finger," he offered like it was no big deal.

"Are you sure?" She asked after a while.

"Yeah." He sighed, sitting up. "Okay, I _really_ need a shower now." He declared but it was just an excuse to get away from her and that _way_ too deep moment. "You coming?" He asked because he simply couldn't help himself.

She stared at him, hazy eyes and all. "Carry me?" She demanded more than asked.

He lost track of the number of rounds.


	7. Chapter 7

The second Casey mentioned Derek being her (fake) husband, he knew exactly how big the whole fiasco could get. His public relations manager had media trained him from the very beginning of his Major League career. Derek knew just how much of his daily life could be put into the press on a regular basis. So yeah, Derek knew exactly what he had gotten himself into. He warned Mikey, he told him he owed Casey a favor... a favor that could backfire on him, **big**. He told Mikey to keep a look out for his name in the papers and shut down any rumor that emerged in the following days.

Reluctantly, Mikey agreed to take care of it, it was his job after all, but he still reminded Derek that it was best to be careful rather than reckless. Mikey swore that Casey would understand if he couldn't do it... but no, that wasn't good enough for Derek. He refused to step down. He didn't even warn Casey about the dangers of "marrying" him. He didn't mention it at all because he was selfish, he needed this. He needed a proper night out with her, even if it got out to the media... even if it was all pretend.

Derek knew the second that Mikey called him the following Monday, only two days after the reunion, that it was bad. He knew because his twitter started blowing up, asking him if the rumors were true, if he had actually gotten married. Derek... well Derek was an internet troll and he loved to rile his fans up constantly. So instead of replying to any of it, making a statement to confirm or deny it, or something sensible, he trolled on. Sending a ridiculous tweet was sent out to his 33,000 twitter followers.

**[DerekVenturi]: Is it just me or is _Silver Linings Playbook_ just a virgin teen movie with mental illness?**

To his defense, Casey had made him watch the movie the night after so it wasn't a completely random tweet! Because he didn't end up just getting up and leaving the night after the reunion since they were up until the wee hours of the morning. After they showered their wrecked bodies, they fell asleep curled up and content in every way possible. They slept well into the afternoon. It wasn't awkward or anything, it was just kind of comfortable and normal because it was them. Eventually, when they got out of bed, achy and complaining that they weren't as young as they use to be, they had "breakfast" which was just a really late, but much needed, lunch. Afterward, Casey suggested that they curl up on the couch (clothed!) and watch a movie while the rain continued to fall outside, giving them the perfect lazy Sunday.

It was just shy of perfect. Except for the fact that eventually, he had to leave.

Aside from twitter, there were the actual tabloids that were cycling. He couldn't stop himself from buying a few that had his name on the cover when he popped out for his coffee earlier that morning. He needed to know exactly what they were saying.

"Derek," Mikey started, already sounding frustrated.

"I thought you'd take care of this Mike!" His panicked eyes danced across all the magazines spread out on his coffee table; his name was staring up at him on the cover of each one.

"I've been on the phone trying to take care of this since 6am Derek. They refused my offers. They ran the stories anyway. But there are no pictures, which is good. So I'm spinning it as just a rumor. No official statement or anything, let it die down and it'll be forgotten by Thursday," Mike promised.

"I just don't want her seeing any of this," Derek admitted. He didn't want to scare her off. He wasn't sure how she would react to the stories, to the world knowing.

"She won't, they've got nothing! Unless..." Mikey trailed off.

"Unless _what_!" Derek asked panicking.

"So, the 'source' is claiming to have a picture of you two from the reunion." Mikey sighed heavily into the phone.

"Oh god... Those could be _very bad_ pictures, Mike." Derek thought for a second. Them dancing, Casey sucking on his neck... "Pictures you can't spin. She was wearing a ring, and we were..." He trailed off, not wanting to tell Mikey that they were all over each other.

"Oh jeez, Derek! I told you not to do this." Mikey groaned into the phone.

"But I did. So fix it."

"Okay, okay. I'll make sure no stories run tomorrow and take care of the picture."

"Good," Derek breathed out.

"Derek!" A female voice called out that clearly wasn't Mikey.

Derek's head snapped up and faced the intruder. He spotted Casey standing in his doorway; her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a mess, and she was breathing heavy like she had just ran a marathon or something. And man, she looked pissed. He was dead, he decided. RIP.

"Uh, hey Mike? I'm going to have to call you back," he spoke into the phone after tearing his eyes away from the train wreck that had just walked in. "Just take care of it, okay? Absolutely _no_ pictures. I'm serious Mike, I can't have her-" He stopped and rubbed his face frustrated. "I'll call you back later. Casey's here and she looks like she's freaking out," he sighed while running a hand through his hair, pulling at his long locks frustrated.

"I'll take care of everything," Mikey promised once more.

"Later Mike," he added before hanging up. He closed up all the magazines he had been studying and piled them up as he usually did before putting his phone on top of his stack to minimize what Casey could see. "What's up Princess?" He asked, finally looking up at her again. He tried not to look nervous or like a deer caught in headlights, which is how he felt.

She made her way into his living room, shedding herself of her coat and bag. She even went as far as to kick off her high heel shoes. She was in her professional-official attire, meaning she must have slipped out of work at a decent time for once.

"Do you need to take care of that?" She asked with a frown before pointing at his phone that still laid on top of the closed magazines. He usually had a few around when he was on the cover, so she didn't think twice about it.

"No, its fine." He shook his head, leaning back into his couch more relaxed position, no longer hunched over the coffee table. "What's up?" He asked again.

Casey sighed before falling into the couch next to him in a slump. She turned towards him with a ridiculous pout. "You have to take it back." She groaned like it pained her to say it. "Take it off." She added, wiggling the fingers of her left hand in front of him impatiently.

"What?" He scoffed while looking at her hand. "Your _ring_?" He asked yet he almost sounded like he was taken back by the mere idea of it.

"Yeah," she blushed, scrunching up her face in discomfort.

"Why,? Can't you take if off yourself?" He asked while intertwining his right hand with hers. He covered their hands with his free one, tracing over the ring carefully, touching the diamonds one by one.

"No, I actually can't." She whispered before throwing her head back into the couch. She closed her eyes and squeezed his hand back.

"Why?" He asked while trying his best not to laugh. She clearly didn't look like she wanted him to take the ring away from her.

"Derek..." she breathed out, exhaling all the air in her lungs. She licked her dry lips and picked her head up to look at him. "You said I could wear the ring. And I listened... I haven't taken it off since. For two days, just two days," she emphasized "I've been walking around with a wedding band on my finger, and people have been noticing. And asking me questions, and I've been answering them. Like my coffee lady asked how you proposed. And I told her that we were in the car and you kind just opened the box, shoving the ring at me. My cashier at my local grocery store asked about my husband, and I told her how you play hockey and drive me insane on a daily basis. Do you see the problem here?" She asked with her pupils blown wide, her cheeks still burning red from the confession.

"Why?" He simply asked while looking down at her.

"What do you mean _why_?"

"What made you tell them all that?" Maybe the source the media was getting information had it traced back to Casey...

"Because...because maybe I _like_ the idea of being married, Derek."

"Yeah? Is that it?" He asked yet hinting that it wasn't the real reason and he knew it.

"'Cause I like it," she repeated with a pout, upset about the confession. "I like the idea of being someone's wife."

"Someone's?" He asked, laughing. _Or mine_ , he wanted to add, but he didn't. "Come on," he smiled before getting up from the couch and pulling on their interlocked fingers.

"Where are we going?" She whined yet allowing him to lead her away.

"Bathroom."

* * *

He stopped in front of the mirror above the sink in the bathroom. He guided her in front of his body and laid his hands on her shoulder, trying to comfort her with a gentle squeeze. "Look in the mirror," he coached her. "What do you see?" He asked.

He watched he roll her eyes at him through the mirror. "What do you mean what do I see?"

"Look. What do you see? Humor me a little, McDonald."

She sighed heavily but complied. She stared at them in the mirror for a while before answering. "You and me," she replied softly.

"Look closer."

" _You_." She declared. Her eyes focused on everything about him, forgetting about herself completely "You look tired Derek, that's my job. Why do you look like you haven't slept in weeks?" She asked before she turned around and got a better look at him. She frowned before pressing her fingertips into the dark circles underneath his eyes, probing at his face like he wasn't real "You okay?" She asked concerned with a frown still tugging at her lips. She didn't like seeing him so out of it and blah.

He leaned into her touch with his eyes fluttering closed. He loved her warmth that radiated off of her body. "I'll be fine." he promised. "Turn around," he told her after opening his eyes. He slipped his hands to her hips, twisting her around softly. "Look at yourself. How do _you_ look?" He tried again, getting back to the task at hand.

"I look..." she started, "Alright." She finished yet she sounded pleasantly surprised by her appearance; her eyes were lighting up the tiniest bit.

"You sound surprised." He chuckled behind her.

"I mean...everyone's been telling me I look like hell lately, you included," she added with a small elbow jab to his ribs. "I feel like I should look like a wreck, cause of the freaking out about the ring and... _stuff_." Which Derek took to mean _them_ and what happened between the pair in the last few days. "But, I look alright. Better than I have in weeks, I'll admit." She smiled at her reflection.

"Why?"

"Because... because I'm happy?" It sounded more like a question than an answer, but he'd accept it.

"Why?"

"I don't know," she groaned, clearly sick with the questions already. She threw her head back to hit his shoulder, no longer staring at the image of them.

"What's this _really_ about Casey?" He asked with his hands still on her hips yet they started to knead the flesh. He needed her to say it, to figure it out all on her own. He didn't want to be the one to tell her.

"Der," she breathed out.

"Come on Case. You know what it's about. It's more than just the ring. I mean, none of those people know me. You could have made up the most elaborate stories about your very own Prince Charming, the one you deserve. You could have made up an over-the-top proposal to an amazing wedding to tell them about. But you didn't! You kept me, the idea of _me_ as your husband throughout all the lies, all the stories you told when people asked you about it. Now tell me why that is," he pressed on yet speaking against her ear.

Casey gasped, taken back by his words. She quickly turned around to face him with a scowl across her features. He had something wrong that she clearly did not agree with. "Don't!" She yelled. "Don't make this seem like it was your great big master plan all along. _I'm_ the one who brought up taking you to the reunion in the first place," she pointed at herself triumphantly.

"Yeah, you did actually," he agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's talk about that. Out of everyone you could have asked to go along with your plan, _you asked_   _me_. Why? Because you trust me…just like how you trusted me that night." He simply couldn't resist adding that last part, even though he knew he shouldn't mention anything about them sleeping together. It was an unspoken agreement between them. But he had to say it.

Casey blushed a violent shade of red; he was worried she'd actually explode this time. "Oh come on, don't make this about the sex Derek!" She tried to rebuttal against the low blow.

"I'm not! This isn't about sex at all. But the ring and the sex, it's the same thing. It's our relationship in a way that you could actually touch and feel. _That_ pushed you over. If it wasn't for those things, you would still be ignoring it. Because this _thing_ between us isn't new, it's been there all along. You know that!" He argued.

"I didn't ignore anything," she countered while ignoring the bulk of what he had just admitted.

"Casey," he spoke her name, slower, softer this time.

"I didn't. It was just..." She sighed while looking down at her feet in a defeated manner.

"What's this really about Casey?" He asked again. He didn't want to fight about it. He just needed her to say it, once and for all. To admit that there was an elephant in the room.

"It's about you," she grumbled as her resolve began to crumble, her eyes flicked back up to his. "Is that what you wanted to hear me say, Der? It's about you?" She asked before using her index finger to poke him in the chest. "Just like everything in the entire world, it's all about you!" She finished, poking him with every word, seemingly angry.

Derek beamed, finally hearing the words fall from her lips. "Damn right it is," he added before pulling her into a tight hug. He felt her melt into him, the wall fell away and it felt good for once.

"I don't like this," she mumbled into his chest yet she wrapped her arms tight across his back. She tried to squeeze him as hard as she could.

"Why not?" He asked with a chuckled, ducking his face into her neck, needing to be closer. And it was at the point that he realized how much of a sap she had made him, and how he didn't even really care.

"Because, I don't like being vulnerable in front of you." She admitted.

He smiled, knowing that it took a lot for her to be so open with him, but she trusted him and that's all that mattered. "How about we go lay down? You take a lot out of me, Princess," he decided before pulling away from her enough to lead them out of the bathroom.

* * *

"Can we... can we do this." She asked him from the place on his chest as she traced invisible patterns over his heart with her fingertips. She was comfortable in the position and she realized it was a place she was quickly coming to love.

"I don't know... Can we?" He teased, running his fingers through her hair in lazy strokes with his free hand tucked behind his head.

"What will our parents say?" She groaned, thinking the worst outcome. What a pessimist she was.

"I... actually know the answer to that." He admitted, stilling all his movements and dropping his hand to the small of her back.

"What?" She asked, picking her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Have you answered your phone lately?"

"No, it's been off. I was too tempted to call you," she admitted with a shrug.

"Have you been online... at _all_?" He pressed on; he was confused at how it was possible for her to not have heard a peep from anywhere.

"Just trying to finish my work... but I've been a bit distracted. I had to leave work early because of it. Why?" She asked; knotting her eyebrows, starting to get panicked by all his questions.

"Don't freak out, okay?" He warned her before biting his lip. He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, pushing it away from her face as best he could to get a good look at her. He pressed his palm against her cheek gently.

"Oh god. What now?" She asked, pulling away from him and sitting up on her knees. She sat nervously beside him now.

"Someone at the reunion must have said something..." He trailed off, unsure of exactly how to tell her.

"Said something _like_?" She pressed on.

"Just... you know, rumors about us being married," he shrugged while trying to make it seem like it wasn't that bad. Just a normal day in the life of Derek and Casey.

"WHAT?!" She squealed, clearly freaking out.

"It's kind of been all over the media. We have a couple name too; Dasey. Why is it mostly your name? That's just not fair," he teased, trying his best to lighten the mood. "There's no pictures of anything," he promised, "Well... there is one speculating. I guess someone's auctioning it off or something? I don't know but Mike's tracking it down and making sure it doesn't get out. He's making the whole thing look like a rumor." He went on to explain.

"Oh my god," she breathed out, on the verge of hyperventilation or having a panic attack. "Oh my god."

"Hey," he started softly, recognizing the look on her face. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pulling her back down to lay next to him but giving her space. He couldn't smother her when she was like this, no matter how bad he wanted to. "It's okay." He cooed, his voice silky soft. "They didn't really say anything about you at all. Mostly me. Just that I'm not single, that we eloped or something." He explained.

"Kill me." She frowned because she knew the implications of _that_ getting out. She knew that everyone who knew them would think the worst about them. That they were gross and disgusting. And when the media got wind of how their relationship started out as... step-siblings... it would just get worse. It was the begging of a shit storm.

"I took care of it Casey," he promised her before kissing her forehead as he tried to sooth her until her heart rate dropped to a normal speed. Her breathing would regulate itself soon after that…he just had to wait.

"So... mom?" She asked after a while. She was looking up at him this time, and she seemed to have calmed down a bit from her initial shock.

Derek winced. "Yeah... they called." He nodded.

"Oh god. Was it bad?" She asked, her heart spiking up again. Even Derek could feel it thumbing against her chest.

"Dad was pissed." He admitted.

"Kill me," she repeated before trying to roll away from him and onto her stomach so that she could hide her face in the pillows but he didn't let her.

"No," he told her while holding her hips in place. "He was pissed because they found out that their kids got married off the cover of a magazine while Nora was grocery shopping this morning." He clarified with a smile.

"Oh."

"They just wanted to be invited Case."

"Really?" She asked, taken back.

"Apparently." Derek shrugged.

"So... technically, we _can_ do this." She decided after rolling back into her favorite spot; putting her jaw on his chest looking up at him with bright eyes.

"Casey, it doesn't matter what our parents say, or the media, or anyone. It's all up to you. We can do this if _you_ want to."

"What about you?"

"I think you know where I stand, where I've always stood. Nothing has changed. It's only grown." He whispered.

"Are you trying to tell me that you like me Venturi?" She teased like a kid on a playground.

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't mind making out with you. You know, if you're into that kind of thing," he winked.

"You know... I think I am," she replied before leaning in to press her lips against his.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Bolded tweet is actually a 'mSeats' tweet!


	8. Chapter 8

 

Derek knew how Casey felt about his kitchen. So he gave her a reason to use it. He called up the family and invited them over for dinner before one of his upcoming games. They had things to discuss, that much was obvious, and it had been a while since they were all together. And this way, Casey could cook to her heart's every desire, which earned him a few brownie points. He loved watching her float around his kitchen while she was mixing, slicing, dicing and making his house smell the way a real home should.

She had gone to the grocery store earlier that particular day, grateful it was a weekend and that she didn't have to work. She brought all the needed ingredients and stocked up his fridge like he had never seen it before. She started with something simple like making some rice and a green salad. She boiled a few cobs of corn and seasoned some chicken cutlets before breading them and prepping them to be fried later on. She then went on to make a potato salad before she started baking cupcakes as well, because why not?

In the afternoon the family arrived all together, filling up Derek's living room. He liked the way it looked with his family there. His huge condo usually looked too big for just him. He always thought he should move to a more homier place, but it was suddenly starting to feel right.

Lizzie and Marti helped Casey set the table and soon they were all sitting around, pilling their plates up high with delicious food that Derek had been waiting for all day.

"So, when are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Edwin spoke first, raising an eyebrow, while looking around the suddenly still table.

"Edwin!" George reprimanded his youngest son.

"I'm just saying," He shrugged. "The rock on Casey's finger is blinding me from across the table!" he complained while adding another spoonful of potato salad onto his plate. He licked his lips in anticipating for the first bite. He too had missed Casey's cooking.

"I would also like to talk about that actually," Nora added politely from her spot, unable to keep her silence any longer. They had mingled and caught up about normal basic things earlier. But nothing serious. That conversation was being held for the dinner table.

"Take it away, Case!" Derek smirked from his seat across from her.

The seating reminded him of his high school years when they all lived under the same roof; Nora and George were on the ends of the table and the kids filled in the middles. But this time he was allowed to play footsy with Casey under the table, because it was his house, and that was all the reason he needed to brush his foot against hers.

"I rather note." She whispered, paling a bit while pulling her feet back out of his reach. She pushed her salad around her plate quietly, obviously worried about the conversation that needed to happen.

"Can I be the flower girl?" Marti asked, filling the awkward silence quickly.

"Marti, you're too old to be the flower girl," Lizzie pointed out.

"Hey! She can be the flower girl if she wants to." Derek stepped in, defending his baby sister as always. "Unless..." he started with a devious smile, "You want the job, Liz?" he asked with a soft chuckle, knowing Lizzie would not be up for the job.

"No!" Lizzie claimed. "I'm way too old for that!" And she was, she was in college after all. That was unheard of.

"Come on Derek, Liz is the maid of honor," Edwin corrected his brother with a half-smile directed towards Lizzie.

"I don't know Liz...You might have to compete against Angela for that spot." Derek teased. He could totality have this conversation if it continued like this.

Lizzie gasped, clearly offended by his words turning to look at Casey as if she had make the comment. "No way! I've known you my whole life, Case" she argued, looking actually worried that her position in the wedding court was at stake.

"But not by choice kiddo," Derek added, pointing at Lizzie with his fork.

"Guys, slow down." Nora chimed in, relaxing the rowdy children. She turned to face Casey with a seriously concerned face. "Is there even going to be a wedding, sweetheart " Nora asked. Because the kids were making plans and Casey hadn't said a word about it.

Casey stared back at her mother stunned. She was unsure of what to say. She didn't know what to tell them. "We... uh, haven't talked about that yet." She admitted clearly her throat, clearly feeling awkward.

"But, most likely," Derek quickly added because he was going to marry that girl. He knew it.

"It's still new..." Casey countered with a shrug. She was trying to tone down the wedding buzz that was floating around the table without denying it.

"No, it's not." Lizzie scoffed, surprised Casey could even say that.

"This has been going on since you two met." Marti added, before chomping down on an ear of corn.

"No it hasn't." Casey fought, annoyed that they all sounded like Derek.

"Yeah it has, Case," Edwin added with a soft nod.

"Told you!" Derek beamed across the table, grateful that he wasn't the only one who had seen it.

"So, are we going to get the story or...?" George prompted the pair. Because before they got married he would like to know how all of that happened. How did they get there? Marriage was a big deal!

"Floors all yours babe." Derek winked while finding her foot under the table again.

Casey sighed, putting her fork down. "Long story short: I asked Derek to pretend to be my husband at my reunion so I didn't look like a total loser in front of all those people. He gave me a ring to make it more believable, and let me kept it. I realize I loved it, because I love the idea of being with Derek. And then yeah we talked about it and that's a thing now I guess. Oh and the media kinda found out about it so… yeah." She finished.

"Well then," Nora said after the table had gone completely quiet.

"So, does Derek need to propose? Will there be another ring?" Edwin asked concerned. "Because I could gladly take that one off your hands if-"

"No more rings! That one cost enough to feed a small island." Derek groaned, remembering the price.

"Well jeez Derek, you need to monitor your spending! How do you expect to start a family when you'r-" George added.

Start a family...with Casey. He couldn't wait for that. Or actually, he could. He didn't exactly want to share her with kids just yet. He had just gotten her to himself. They didn't need to rush anything. But eventually a family with Casey was exactly what he wanted his future to look like.

"Georgie... He wanted the best for Casey. I think it's kind of sweet." Nora said with a soft approving smile.

"It is a beautiful ring," Lizzie admitted, ogling the ring on Casey's finger, hypnotized by its shine.

"I want a diamond ring too, Smerek." Marti beamed, using his old nickname to her benefit.

"Yeah?" Derek laughed, knowing Marti's trick. "Well, when a guy has decided to deal with you for the rest of his life, maybe you'll get one," Derek teased his sister, who glared at him with an epic pout.

Dinner went on. They all ate, praising Casey's cooking while teasing her and Derek relentlessly. Until it was time for Derek to head out. He had to get to the rink before the rest of the family for warm ups and such.

"I'll see you guys at the game," he told the table, bending down to press a kiss to the crown of Casey's head.

"That's how you're going to say goodbye to your 'wife'?" Lizzie asked, concerned.

"No. That's how I'm going to say goodbye to my fiancé," Derek smirked, liking the way it sounded coming from him. He was glad they were skipping the whole dating thing. They had enough of getting to know each other throughout the years. It wasn't needed. He knew exactly what he wanted. And clearly, it was Casey.

"Oh come on Derek. That was cheap," Nora added in, with a sly smile. Clearly she had been supporting Dasey for some time as well.

"Kiss her. Kiss her!" Marti chanting and the rest of the ladies, minus a blushing Casey, chanted quickly

"Such pervs," Derek groaned, rolling his eyes, but leaned forward to press a quick chaste kiss to Casey's pursed lips. "Goodbye!" He yelled at the table before actually exiting this time around.

"So," she squealed, "Who wants cupcakes?" She asked, trying to get the attention off of herself.

* * *

 

_A Few Months Later..._

"You happy now?" Angela's assistant Lilly asked with a glare as she dropped a freshly printed magazine onto Angela's table with disgust.

Instantly Angela's eyes went wide with excitement. Of course she was happy. She had been waiting all day for this! She pulled the still warm magazine into her hands, flipping through to page 22 where she knew the pictures alongside the short article were.

"Yes, actually. Thrilled," she beamed, clearly proud of herself as her eyes skimmed over the glossy page with pride.

"You're a bad person." Lilly replied, shaking her head, taking a seat across her boss, who she was convinced was pure evil.

"I rather call myself cupid, actually." Angela huffed, returning her eyes to the perfect article in front of her. The picture was perfect! Tasteful, and simple. A PR rep's wet dream actually! And the couple looked amazing, happy and completely in love.

"Cupid? Really?" Lilly laughed.

"Hey, they needed a push!" Angela defended herself before closing the magazine and looking up at Lilly.

"She told you they were together. I just don't understand why you had to-"

Angela cut Lilly off quickly. "No." She growled. "She lied to me. You don't get it, I know Casey. I know every one of her ticks. She lied to me that night..." Angela trailed off, still hurt about it. "But that night," she perked up, smiling. "Casey and Derek, ugh, it was just so obvious. More than usual! That they're meant to be." Angela shrugged, convinced that she had done the right thing.

"Are you going to tell her?" Lilly asked.

"Tell her what?"

"That it was you? That you ran the stories about them."

"Maybe... eventually." Angela nodded, promising that she would.

"How do you even know that it worked?"

"Because I just received my invitation to the real wedding. And we're having lunch tomorrow." She smiled, looking very proud of herself.

"So you think she's going to tell you the truth?"

"I know she will," Angela nodded.

* * *

 

_Later on that Day..._

"Hey Prince Charming." Casey started the second she heard him walk in. "Did you know we're on the cover of this week's People magazine?" Casey asked Derek before looking up at him.

"Do I look good?" was all he asked while dropping his duffle bag by the door. He kicked off his shoes before making his way towards her.

"Ehh, you've looked better." Casey teased, tilting her head up to meet him in a quick kiss when he reached her.

"Let me see," he declared before taking the magazine from her hands.

The picture on the cover was of the pair stepping out of a lush Toronto night club a few nights ago. They were hand in hand, laughing at something or another. Casey looked flawless in a mini dress and heels with a long black trench coat while her brown long locks were wore straight down. Derek simply wore a dress shirt with too many buttons undone and a pea coat. But they looked... well they looked like a candid of any famous couple on any cover of a magazine. It amazed him how well they fit the mold they were thrown into.

"I look awesome," he shrugged, throwing the magazine onto the coffee table. He wrapped his arms around Casey's frame before pulling her into his lap, keeping his hands locked on her hips.

"How'd the dress fitting go?" He asked casually.

Casey stifled a giggle but answered him. "It's perfect and ready to wear." She beamed after wrapping her arms around his neck. Everything was falling into place and she couldn't wait.

"Did you bring it home? Can I see it?" He asked excited.

"No way. You know the rules."

"Oh come on," he groaned, "We're not doing any of this the traditional way, what difference does it make?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"A lot!"

"Hey..." he started, cupping her face with a free hand, "Are you okay with all of this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, narrowing her eyes out of concern.

"Because you didn't get the proposal you wanted, and it's been kind of crazy last couple of weeks with the wedding and the media..."

"Hey... it's not normal," she shrugged, "But we aren't either. So yeah, I'm cool with it." She promised before pressing her lips to his for a long lingering kiss.

"Cool." He breathed out, more relaxed this time. "Hey, I was thinking," he started while tucking her hair behind her ears, "What do you think about Cerek?"

"No." Casey replied quickly before ducking into his neck to litter his skin with kisses and to distract his ridiculous idea of getting them a new name.

"McTuri?" He bargained.

"NO!" She growled against his skin, biting down on the soft skin to prove her point.

"Fine. We'll continue to sound like a stupid flower," he gave in, melting under her kisses. He could deal with it.


End file.
